Sport
29 August, 2022
Harcourt breathes new life into premiership race with thrilling qualifying final win
TRENTHAM 8.8 (56) def by HARCOURT 9.7 (61) Harcourt has blown the premiership race wide open with a stunning five-point victory over Trentham on Saturday at Princes Park — mirroring their result that was achieved in round nine. A goal square...
TRENTHAM 8.8 (56) def by HARCOURT 9.7 (61)
Harcourt has blown the premiership race wide open with a stunning five-point victory over Trentham on Saturday at Princes Park — mirroring their result that was achieved in round nine.
A goal square scramble in the final minute of the game saw Jed Rodda secure victory from the jaws of defeat, as his effort from off the ground put the Lions in front at the critical moment, in what was an at-times feisty clash.
The Lions stunned the Saints with a fast start as they relished the wider expanses that was afforded to them, kicking five of the first six goals of the game to open up a 23-point lead at quarter time.
The second quarter was a scrap — just one goal was scored by the Saints, while the Lions were held to just three behinds for the quarter. However, it was still enough to see Harcourt go into the main break 18 points up.
A back-and-forth affair in the third quarter saw the Lions kick two of the first three goals of the quarter to extend their margin to 24 points. But Trentham started to show why they were the minor premier as they roared back into the game with three quick goals in the final 10 minutes of the quarter to reduce the margin to seven points.
The siren for three-quarter-time saw a big scuffle take place on the grandstand side as tensions threatened to boil over, given the stakes that were at play.
The final quarter was finals football at its best, as both teams threw everything at trying to earn their preliminary final berth.
For large parts, the Saints looked to be the better team, looking threatening every time they went inside forward 50. They kicked two of the first three goals of the final quarter to reduce the margin to one point.
However, two late shots at goal which could have iced the game their way yielded just two behinds — including a shot that hit the post.
While Harcourt weren’t too threatening in their forward half throughout the final quarter, they were able to make the most of their opportunities, and amid a furious fight for the ball in the goal square, Rodda was able to get his boot to the ball in the nick of time to put through what would end up being the winning goal, with the Lions securing a 9.7 (61) to 8.8 (56) victory.
Lions’ co-coach Daniel Wridgway paid homage to Trentham’s fight, knowing that they were made to earn every bit of their preliminary final berth against the best team of the home and away season.
“It was a hard-fought battle. They’re a really good team — their skills are impeccable around the ground and they have some big bodies as well. With the premiership race this year, I think anyone in the top five can win it,” he said.
“We did admittedly treat the Trentham game earlier in the year as the grand final that never happened in 2021. It doesn’t sit that well when you are minor premiers under those circumstances, so we chose to put everything in to this year as well.
“Trentham are not going to go to sleep. They are an unbelievably good team. We have the utmost respect for their coaching staff and their playing group. It’s swings and roundabouts, we knew they were going to come, but we’re really pleased we were able to hold on and win.
“We’ve had our challenges as every club has had, juggling COVID and sickness, as well as injury. But this week, we had almost our full list to choose from, which is fantastic, and it’s the first time we’ve been able to this year. We are coming good at the right time of the year, which is required to win premierships.”
Wridgway paid tribute to ruckman Brayden Frost, while also praising the efforts of Rodda and Cameron Anderson.
“Frosty is unbelievable. It’s not just his ruck work, but the way he moves around the ground. The younger guys, like Jed and Cameron, we have that perfect balance of young, really fit, highly skilled guys and some older heads who are cool under pressure which is fantastic,” he said.
“We have been talking about the last few weeks, and every week, our system and structures have just improved. With the cattle we get to choose from, it takes the pressure off.”
The Lions now await the winner of the semi final between Natte Bealiba and Lexton, however, the week off will give them a chance to reset, according to Wridgway.
“We’ll have a rest this week, regroup and discuss things that went really well, as well as our deficiencies and how we can improve them. But it also depends who we play in the prelim. One of the challenges of the league is that it’s so big, so it’s hard to gauge where you are at. We’re looking forward to the challenge,” he said.
The Saints will now have to regroup and play a dangerous Navarre outfit fresh off a 155-point victory over Dunolly on Sunday.