Eagles face Roos in battle to earn grand final berth
IT’S an Eagles and Roos showdown as Mallee takes on Balranald in the Central Murray Football Netball League’s A-grade netball preliminary final on Saturday.
A place in the grand final will be the prize for the winner of the match at Cohuna.
Most recent showdown between the Eagles and Roos was the qualifying final where Mallee won 50-45.
Their only meeting in the home-and-away series was in the 10th round where Balranald fought for a 56-55 win at home.
After winning the qualifying final, Mallee took on Swan Hill in the second semi-final at Kerang’s Riverside Park.
The Swans were too strong for the Eagles in a 71-54 result.
Balranald bounced back from defeat the previous week to score a 51-48 victory in the first semi-final against Lake Boga at Alan Garden Reserve in Swan Hill.
The A-reserve preliminary final features Swan Hill against Balranald.
These teams met in the qualifying final at Woorinen where the Swans won 51-46 on the Tigers’ court.
Both contests in the run to the finals had gone Swan Hill’s way – 42-33 at Balranald in round seven, and 61-38 in the Swans’ nest in round 16.
The Swans are on the rebound from a 28-41 loss to Mallee Eagles in the second semi-final, while the Roos marked a 64-51 win against Tooleybuc Manangatang in the first semi-final.
It’s another battle of the birds in B-grade as Swan Hill takes on Lake Boga.
The Swans won the round three clash with the Magpies, 31-26.
Swan Hill began the finals campaign with a 38-36 win against Woorinen in the qualifying final, but was beaten 45-28 by Mallee Eagles in the second semi.
Lake Boga won the elimination final against Nyah Nyah West United, 43-35, and then achieved a 46-30 victory against Woorinen in the first semi.
The 18-and-under preliminary final will be a showdown between Tyntynder and Cohuna Kangas.
Most recent meeting between the teams was the qualifying final in which the Bulldogs beat the Kangas, 35-28.
Tyntynder scored a 15-goal win on Cohuna’s court in the seventh round, while it was a 31-all draw in the 11th round.
The Bulldogs will be keen to hit back from a 43-29 loss to Lake Boga in the second semi.
Cohuna made its way to a preliminary after a 41-38 victory against Swan Hill in the first semi.
Victorious in both of the home and away matches, Tooleybuc Manangatang will start favourite in the 16-and-under preliminary final against Swan Hill.
The Bulldogs won 42-27 at Swan Hill in the seventh round, and 36-24 at home in the 17th round.
A great run by the Swans has included a 40-39 victory against Lake Boga in the elimination final, and 39-38 victory against Koondrook Barham in the first semi.
Tooleybuc Manangatang took on Kerang in the second semi-final which ended in a 45-36 win by the Blues.
The Tigers from Woorinen will face the Magpies from Lake Boga in the 14-and-under preliminary final.
Woorinen won both of the home-and-away matches by margins of 21 and 33 goals.
In the finals campaign, Lake Boga bounced back from an 18-26 loss to Tyntynder in the qualifying final to score a 40-18 victory in the first semi against Kerang.
The Tigers were beaten, 34-28 in the second semi-final by Tyntynder.
Schedule for Saturday’s preliminary finals at Cohuna Recreation Reserve:
16-and-under at 9am: Tooleybuc Manangatang v Swan Hill.
14-and-under at 10.20am: Woorinen v Lake Boga.
18-and-under at 10.20am: Tyntynder v Cohuna.
B-grade at 12pm: Swan Hill v Lake Boga.
A-reserve at 1.30pm: Swan Hill v Balranald.
A-grade at 2.30pm: Mallee Eagles v Balranald.
Written by Nathan Dole
