The Northern Knights have secured a Top 4 finals berth and a double chance. After finishing the season on a four game winning streak, including a 47 point win against Geelong on Saturday at MC Labour Park the Knights are hitting some good form at the right time of year.
Geelong got the early jump and at quarter time the Knights looked to be in a bit of trouble. In fact, the Knights could consider themselves lucky to still be within reach after the first as Geelong had dominated play but were inaccurate in front of goals. Northern seized the opportunity presented to them in the second quarter by kicking seven goals to two to hold a three goal lead.
Trent Cotchin, Brett Meredith and David Zaharakis were leading the way through the midfield, while once again Jake Spiteri was playing a strong game at centre half forward. Patrick Veszpremi, on his return from injury chimed in for three goals off three kicks in the second term and was dangerous every time he went near the ball.
Momentum had certainly swung in the Knights favour during the second quarter, but they didn't assert their authority until the third with another seven goal quarter. Tim Bongetti bounced back well after a couple of knocks early in the game to extend his lead as the TAC Cup's top goal kicker for 2007. Matt Kreuzer and Ben Power shared most of the rucking duties with Kreuzer going up forward on occasions to kick goals while Power continued to show the vast signs of improvement that has earned him a State Screening.
In the final quarter Nathan Thomas added a pair of goals as Cotchin and Meredith each had ten more touches. In a positive performance by the Knights the only downside was the ankle injury to Nyaburu Kelly in the third quarter, which he'll be getting scans on to test his availability for the Qualifying Final this week.
Knights Region Manager Peter Kennedy was pleased with the effort of the team on Saturday. "Geelong came out fast and furious. They had a good attack on the ball, their intensity was high and they ran harder. We stayed in touch in the first quarter even though we weren't playing that well but they missed some opportunities in front of goal.
It was excellent that our players kept their heads when the pressure was on early to stay in the game. They had good composure, kept being persistent and didn't give up. Most importantly they didn't panic.
After our first game this year (100+ point win against Dandenong) we aimed to stay in the Top 4 all year. At times we had some bad injuries or unavailability due to school and Vic Metro commitments and we dropped to sixth, but we achieved our ultimate goal. Our ball movement, run and carry, attack on the ball and pressure continues to get better heading into the finals."
This week Michael Brunelli will return from his one week suspension, while Adam Woodhams undergoes a fitness test after missing the last eight games with a broken ankle.
Northern Knights 20.13. 133 def. Geelong Falcons 12.14.86
Goals: Veszpremi 4, Bongetti 4, Thomas 3, Kreuzer 2, Totino 2, Meredith 2, Cachia, Power, N.Kelly
Best: Cotchin, Meredith, Spiteri, Kreuzer, Bongetti, Hurley
Last Modified on 30/03/2008 18:15