Swans tackle Saints in preliminary final
THE Swans take on the Saints in Saturday’s preliminary final in the Golden Rivers FNL senior footy competition.
A grand final berth is at stake as Moulamein clashes with Quambatook at Wandella Recreation Reserve from 2.40pm.
Victorious in both showdowns with the Swans in the home-and-away series, Quambatook will start favourite to earn another crack at Nullawil in the September 10 grand final on Nullawil’s turf.
The Saints will be on the rebound from a 77-point loss to Nullawil in the second semi-final.
Will Collicoat led the Quambatook attack on three goals against the Maroons as Ashley Davis, Jack Baker, Nick Birthisel and Nick Mason were best.
Moulamein kicked off its finals campaign by scoring a 104-60 victory against Wandella in the first semi.
Josh Flight and Beau Duggan-Hulands led the Swans’ attack on five and four goals as Daniel Aarsman chipped in with two.
Best for Moulamein were Daniel Aarsman, Josh Flight, James Moroney and Beau Duggan-Hulands.
It’s been Quambatook which has reigned supreme in its clashes with Moulamein.
The Swans won 105-58 at Moulamein in round four as Will Collicoat kicked four goals, Ashley Murray added three, and Jordan Lamp, Brady Tillig and Ricky Wild chipped in with two each.
Moulamein’s only multiple goalkicker was Jack Jones on two.
Best for Quambatook were Jordan Lampi, Nick Birthisel, Ricky Wild and Jarred Shiltz.
Rodney Reeves, Cody Storm, Jacob Thorne and Ely Miller were best for the Swans.
Naidoc Round was the most recent clash between Moulamein and Quambatook.
The Saints won the 11th round match at home by 28 points.
Quambatook led 58-37 at half-time, but Moulamein dominated the third term, 20-2.
It was the Saints who found another gear to score 28 points and hold the Swans to just three points in the final quarter.
Will Collicoat and Ashley Murray kicked three goals for the Saints as James Blackwell added two.
Moulamein’s attack was led by Josh Flight on three.
Best for Quambatook were Tristan Ramadge, Pras Sayakhot, Tobie Camberon and Brad Organ.
Luke Shannon, Daniel Aarsman, Cody Storm and Josh Flight played well for the Swans.
Moulamein’s team for Saturday includes Nathan Buckley, Anthony Daw and Jack Jones.
On the goalkicking front, Quambatook is led by Will Collicoat, 35; Ashley Murray, 32; Nick Mason, 24; and Brady Tillig, 18.
Moulamein’s attack is led by Beau Duggan-Hulands, 43; Josh Flight, 40; and Luke Smailes, 18.
In the reserves preliminary final, Wandella takes on Nullawil from 12.35pm.
The Nullawil line-up is on the rebound from an 81-49 loss to Murrabit in the second semi-final.
Wandella won the first semi-final against Macorna, 98-96.
Both of this season’s meetings between the preliminary finalists were won by Nullawil, 105-28 in round three at Wandella, and 83-53 at home in the 10th round.
Ultima takes on Macorna in the under-17 ½ preliminary final at 10.45am.
The Ultima line-up beat Macorna by 40 points in round three, and by 14 points in Tigers’ territory in the 10th round.
In the finals action, Ultima won the first semi against Nullawil, 71-44, while Macorna is on the rebound from a 134-43 loss to Hay in the second semi.
First up on preliminary final day will be the under-14 ½ teams from Murrabit and Macorna at 9.35am.
It was a win apiece and a draw in the regular season between these line-ups.
In round one, Murrabit led 14-0 at quarter-time, but the Tigers fought back to lead 20-14 at half-time.
Murrabit then led 27-20 at a quarter to go, before Macorna won the final term, 7-0, for a 27-all draw.
The round eight clash at Murrabit went the way of the Tigers, 40-28.
Murrabit won the next showdown, 43-18 at Macorna.
In the run to a preliminary final, Murrabit marked a 64-7 win against Ultima in the first semi.
Macorna will be keen to hit back from a 19-25 loss in the second semi-final clash with Wandella.
Schedule for Saturday’s preliminary finals at Wandella:
Under-14 ½ at 9.35am: Murrabit v Macorna.
Under-17 ½ at 10.45am: Ultima v Macorna.
Reserves at 12.35pm: Wandella v Nullawil.
Seniors at 2.40pm: Moulamein v Quambatook.
Written by Nathan Dole.
