The Inverell Saints have qualified for their 5th consecutive Grand Final with a tough 28 point victory over the New England Nomads at Armidale on Saturday. The Saints built their win in the first quarter but had to see off numerous Nomad raids before coming away with the win.
After the dreadful weather two weeks earlier for the Qualifying Final, Armidale turned on a drier day for the Prelim however a gusty and freezing wind made conditions tough for footy. The Saints desperately needed to get off to a better start than they did a fortnight earlier, and two quick goals to Scott Fermor were just the tonic they were looking for. When Russell Brien snapped one minutes later, the Saints were off to a flyer. The Nomads were able to respond with one of their own, but a concerted effort from the Saints back six forced the Nomads into some rushed shots on goal and saw the Saints take a handy 9 point lead into the first change.
Getting the slight advantage of the breeze in the second, the Saints booted the first of the quarter and were starting to look dangerous. However the Noamds were not to be ruled out of the contest just yet, booting 3 goals for the quarter and staying in touch. The Saints were wasteful with the wind, but still managed to increase the lead to 10 points at the half.
Needing to put in a big effort in the third, the Saints got off to the perfect start, kicking the first 3 of the quarter off the back of some excellent work by Chris Whitton and Stew Walker. The margin pushed out to 26 points and the Saints looked good things, however two late goals to the Nomads in the quarter saw them take all the momentum into the last change and trailing by 15 at the last change.
The first goal of the last had the potential to change the game, and when the Nomads slotted truly, the Saints had to respond. That they did, with goals to Whitton and Walker in the last quarter followed by a fine effort from Brien saw the match put beyond doubt. The final margin stood at 28 points and saw the Saints earn another trip to the big show at the pointy end of the season.
The Saints back six was outstanding all day, with Jono Elphick, Joe Kimmince, Sam Kimmince and Matt Harrison given big defensive jobs and coming out on top of their opponents. KJ Te Velde was also strong in the middle, whilst Peter Dunlop regularly put his body on the line for the good of the team.
The Saints now look forward to the Grand Final this Saturday against the Kangaroos in Tamworth. Tune in through the week for some details on the Saints GF squad.
Last Modified on 11/09/2011 20:57