Sport
21 March, 2024
Laane and Clunes face off for A grade title
The fierce recent rivalry between Laanecoorie Dunolly and Clunes takes another big step throughout the weekend when the two teams meet for the Ron Sinclair Shield in this weekend’s grand final. It’s the second time these two clubs have met in...
The fierce recent rivalry between Laanecoorie Dunolly and Clunes takes another big step throughout the weekend when the two teams meet for the Ron Sinclair Shield in this weekend’s grand final.
It’s the second time these two clubs have met in a March grand final in two years, but the first time these two teams have met in a two-day grand final in the 21st century.
Laanecoorie Dunolly are seeking a fifth consecutive premiership, while Clunes are looking to return to the summit for the first time since 2018/19.
For Laane captain Matt Smith, a fifth premiership in a row would be something he can’t overlook, but more importantly to him, he wants people who are vying for their first premiership to experience that sensation as well.
“The boys are really motivated to perform well on the weekend. Obviously, winning five in a row would be an incredible achievement,” he said.
“Some of us have been fortunate enough to be potentially part of a fifth one this weekend, which would mean a lot, and others in the group are vying for their first or second, so it’s special to all of us, and players who are fortunate enough to win a few of these before, we want to make sure the guys who haven’t had the opportunity to do that get there this weekend.”
Smith believes his charges are in a good spot physically and mentally, and with four convincing wins against the Magpies throughout the season, assume favouritism to take the premiership.
“We’ve had a lot of contributors across the year. Some have had a few more moments than others where they’ve been able to step up and contribute to the team,” he said.
“We know that it’s going to be a red-hot contest this weekend. There’s been a few things going on which has been a distraction, but we are expecting a full-strength team that will be up for the fight, and we know how they like to play their cricket and what they want to do, so we’re prepared physically and mentally for this weekend, to make sure that we can be on the right side of the result again.”
Smith has preached the importance of every aspect of the game to his team, and that has worked in their favour throughout the season, particularly with their batting lineup, which has delivered an average of 280 runs in their first innings in the two-day component of the season.
Smith says it all starts with namesake Luke and Tom Hannett at the top of the order, while also emphasising the importance of having depth.
“We have been fortunate enough that Luke and Tom have been rock solid at the top and got us off to good starts most weekends, but we’re also aware that a bowler can bowl a good spell and get through a top order pretty quickly,” he said.
“To have that batting depth certainly provides some insurance, and there’s been times where we’ve been challenged, lost clumps of wickets and haven’t been able to build partnerships, but on all those occasions, we steadied the ship through our batting depth, bat deep into the day and post a strong score.”
It’s the same deal for Laane’s bowlers, who have each played their part, with top five wicket-takers Joe Lovel, Sergio Rosier, Daniel Romeo, Zach Graham and Sam Bartlett combining for 86 wickets this season.
According to Matt, their bowling prowess, as well as their fielding, is what the club sees as the biggest importance to going well.
“Our bowlers do a wonderful job. No one has made over 200 against us this season. Our bowlers are ruthless, they are tight and consistent and sweat on batters’ patience,” he said.
“We want to be all those things and more come this weekend to make it as difficult for the opposition to get away from us as possible. It makes it hard for the opposition, so I have as much faith in our bowling as I do our batting lineup.
“We have spoken about for a period of years that every ball matters. Playing the minutes, playing the overs, partnership bowling, and we’ve spoken about being reliable over remarkable.
“We don’t need to try get a wicket every ball, but we need to bowl to a field. I think that’s what our boys do really well, it allows you to set good fields and allows you to lock down one side of the ground.
“We know how important it is to hold our catches, particularly early in an innings, and to field well, which has certainly been a strength of ours for a period of time, which can make a big difference in a game of cricket.”
On the other side of the equation is Clunes captain Mitch Coppick, who believes that there’s a lot to like about his charges and the opportunity to turn around their fortunes against Laane when it matters most.
But firstly, Coppick makes mention of the fact that both Magpies teams are playing off in a grand final this weekend, with the A reserve team also making it to the decider.
“First and foremost, it is a massive achievement for the club, and it shows how strong of a club we have been at Clunes. To have both teams in the grand final, I can’t reiterate enough how proud I am of the club,” he said.
Coppick believes a focus on good bowling depth, as well as confidence in their batting lineup, has held the Magpies in good stead throughout the season.
“We have massive bowling stocks. There’s a few bowlers at A reserve level who we feel would push most A grade clubs in the league. The stocks are incredibly strong in both grades,” he said.
“We have a lot of confidence in our batting stocks too. A bloke like Brendan Ingram showed it on the weekend making an unbelievable 47, batting at eight. We’re confident we have good batting depth and blokes who can make runs when needed.”
Last time out, Clunes gave themselves an opportunity to take the game right to Laanecoorie Dunolly by bowling them out for 183 — their lowest two-day score of the season.
Coppick knows the bowling talent, which includes the likes of Lachlan Morganti, Ash Gunn and Jaxon Smyth, which has combined for 61 wickets this season, is good enough to get the Magpies in the game, but they also have to back up with the bat — having made an average of 96.5 runs in their four meetings with Laane this season.
“We have the confidence of knowing we can do it, but we know we have to be better with the bat than we were last time,” he said.
“If you bat, bowl and field well, anything can happen in a grand final. It’s how finals work, crazy things happen, and you have to expect the unexpected. If you take the little moments, you can walk away with the trophy.
“Finals comes down to those one-percenters, and if you do them right, you’re always in the game.”
