BY NATHAN DOLE
Many clubs in race for premiership
The finale to the La Trobe University-backed finals series kicks off Friday night at Mercy Junortoun Sports Precinct and rolls on to Saturday at Queen Elizabeth Oval and Kennington’s Harry Trott Oval.
Last day of another superb season of junior footy will be on Sunday at Triple M Park and the adjacent Enterprise Oval in Strathfieldsaye’s Tannery Lane.
The AFLCV’s football operations manager for junior football, Nathan Williams, said the league was rapt so many clubs would feature in grand finals.
“There will be 17 of our 22 clubs playing in grand finals,” Williams said.
“Sandhurst has four teams to play and Maiden Gully YCW, Strathfieldsaye and White Hills all have three teams to compete”.
“Other clubs to mark multiple appearances in grand finals are Marong, North Bendigo, Rochester, and St Francis Falcons on two.”
Castlemaine, Eaglehawk, Golden Square, Huntly, Kangaroo Flat, Maryborough, South Bendigo, St Monica’s, and St Therese’s all have a team chasing premiership glory.
First of 15 grand finals kicks off at 5.30pm on Friday when St Therese’s meets St Francis Blue in the under-12 Girls match on O’Keefe Oval at Mercy Junortoun Sports Precinct in McIvor Road.
It’s been a superb year for the St Francis Falcons which has two teams competing in grand finals.
After a four-goal win against White Hills in the qualifying final, St Francis Blue played St Therese’s in the second semi-final.
The Sharks beat the Blues, 31-12 at Fur Life Oval in Golden Square’s Wade Street.
St Francis Blue bounced back to claim a 21-20 against Golden Square in the preliminary final.
An unbeaten run of 14 matches for St Therese’s across the home-and-away series included 46-14 and 36-4 results against St Francis Blue in rounds three and 12.
A big day of footy and netball action at Queen Elizabeth Oval on Saturday will include the under-16 seniors grand final between Sandhurst and Strathfieldsaye from 8.45am.
The Dragons and Storm have had three closely-fought matches so far.
Sandhurst’s unbeaten run of 15 matches in the home-and-away series included a 54-49 win against Storm at Ewing Park in the seventh round.
The Dragons won 24-17 on Storm’s turf at Triple M Park in round 12.
Game three between these teams was the 16th and final round of the home-and-away series in which the Dragons marked a 98-73 victory at Ewing Park.
In the second semi-final, Sandhurst beat Storm by eight points in Golden Square.
Storm struck back for a 66-43 win against South Bendigo in the preliminary final.
Grand finals for E, D, C and B divisions of the under-12s class will be played on Saturday at Harry Trott Oval in Neale Street, Kennington.
First-up will be North Bendigo Red against Maiden Gully YCW in the under-12E match from 8.45am.
The Bulldogs beat the Eagles by 33 points in the second semi-final at Bendigo Club Oval in North Bendigo’s Atkins Street.
Maiden Gully won the preliminary final against Eaglehawk Two Blues by 39 points.
It was one-all between the Dogs and Eagles in the home-and-away series.
Maiden Gully YCW won 31-21 in round eight at Marist College.
The Bulldogs marked a 33-27 victory against the Eagles in the 13th round at Bendigo Club Oval.
The under-12C grand final between Maiden Gully YCW and Golden Square starts at 10.15am.
Defences were on top as the Eagles marked a 13-8 win against Golden Square in the second semi-final.
The Bulldogs won the preliminary final against Strathfieldsaye by eight points.
In the run to the finals, Maiden Gully won the round nine match with the Bulldogs by 22 points.
It was 22-21 in favour of the Eagles when they played on Golden Square’s turf in the 14th round.
South Bendigo (3) will play St Monica’s in the under-12D grand final from 11.45am.
The young Bloods won the second semi-final against St Monica’s by 27 points.
The Roos bounced back for a 34-33 win against South Bendigo (2) in the preliminary final.
St Monica’s beat the Bloods by 28 points in round nine at Harry Trott Oval.
In round 16, St Monica’s marked a 15-3 win against South Bendigo (3) at Kangaroo Flat’s Crusoe College Oval.
Fourth and final match at Kennington on Saturday will be Eaglehawk Eagles against White Hills Black in the under-12B clash from 1.15pm.
In the second semi-final, Eaglehawk soared to a 32-25 win against the Demons.
White Hills marked a 24-22 victory against Huntly in the preliminary final.
First of this season’s meetings between the Demons and Eagles was in round five where Eaglehawk won 41-18 in White Hills.
In round 12 the Eagles won 16-8 in the Demon’s den.
Action on Sunday at Triple M Park in Strathfieldsaye kicks off at 8.45am when St Francis plays Maiden Gully YCW in the under-12A grand final.
It was one-all in the home-and-away series.
St Francis beat the Eagles by 17 points at St Francis Oval in round seven.
The Eagles soared to a 40-point win against St Francis in the 14th round at Marist College in Maiden Gully.
St Francis scored a 32-point victory against St Therese’s in the second semi-final.
After a 53-point win against South Bendigo in the first semi-final, Maiden Gully YCW won the preliminary final against St Therese’s by 11 points.
The first of the under-14 grand finals on Sunday in Strathfieldsaye will be North Bendigo against White Hills in the reserves, division three match from 9am on Enterprise Oval.
The Bulldogs beat the Demons by five and 22 points in rounds nine and 16.
An all-Bulldogs showdown in the second semi-final ended in a 43-point victory for North Bendigo against Golden Square.
White Hills won the first semi-final against Heathcote by 67 points and followed up with a 10-goal triumph against Golden Square in the preliminary final at Weeroona Oval.
The under-14 reserves, division one grand final between White Hills and Rochester starts at 10.55am on Enterprise Oval.
The Demons dominated matches against Rochester to win by 63 points in the Tigers’ den at Windridge Oval in round seven, and by 73 points at Winslow Constructors Oval in White Hills in the 12th round.
White Hills beat Kangaroo Flat by 27 points in the second semi-final.
A 74-point victory for Rochester in the first semi-final against Castlemaine was followed by a 23-point win against Kangaroo Flat in the preliminary final.
The under-14 reserves, division two match between Maryborough and Marong starts at 2.20pm on Enterprise Oval.
The Magpies from Maryborough beat Marong by 58 points in round eight at Princes Park and by 13 points in the Panthers’ den on East West Oval in Malone Park in the 13th round.
A 22-point win against Huntly in the second semi-final meant Maryborough was first to the grand final.
Marong won the first semi-final against Maiden Gully YCW by 77 points and then beat Huntly in the preliminary final by 21 points.
The under-14 seniors grand final between Sandhurst and Strathfieldsaye will be played from 3.25pm in Triple M Park.
The Dragons defeated Storm by 51, three and 21 points across the home-and-away series.
A 15-1 record put Sandhurst on top of the ladder.
The maroon and blue won the second semi-final against Golden Square by 10 points.
Strathfieldsaye followed up a 35-point win against Eaglehawk in the first semi-final by scoring a 54-28 victory against Golden Square in the preliminary final.
Victorious in all four matches it has played against Sandhurst, Kangaroo Flat will start favourite in the under-15 Girls, reserves grand final.
The Roos and Dragons will play from 12.50pm on Enterprise Oval.
Kangaroo Flat’s winning margins against the maroon and blue have been 64, eight and 22 points.
Most recent meeting between them was the second semi-final which went the Roos’ way, 43-7 at the Scott Street ground in White Hills.
The under-15 Girls, seniors match features Sandhurst against Strathfieldsaye from 1.55pm at Triple M Park.
Only meeting between them in the home-and-away series was in the 10th round where the Dragons marked a 10-point win on Storm’s turf.
Sandhurst won the second semi-final against Strathfieldsaye by 50 points.
Storm struck back to record a four-goal win against White Hills in the preliminary final.
There will be two under-16s matches played on Enterprise Oval.
Castlemaine will take on Huntly in the under-16 reserves, division one match from 10.15am.
The Magpies beat the Hawks in both showdowns at Wesley Hill by 36 and 55 points in rounds nine and 13.
Castlemaine defeated Huntly by four goals in the second semi-final.
The Hawks struck back for a 77-38 victory in the preliminary final against Strathfieldsaye.
It will be the Panthers against the Tigers as Marong faces Rochester in the under-16 reserves, division two clash from 12.05pm.
Their only meeting in the regular season was in round 10 at Rochester’s Windridge Oval where the yellow and black won by 21 points.
Marong beat Rochester by 16 points in the second semi-final.
The Tigers fought on for a 59-45 victory against Kangaroo Flat in the preliminary final played in Eaglehawk’s Canterbury Park.
Schedule for this weekend’s Bendigo JFL grand finals to complete the La Trobe University-backed finals series:
Friday at Mercy Junortoun Sports Precinct:
Under-12 Girls at 5.30pm: St Therese’s v St Francis Blue, O’Keefe Oval.
Saturday at Queen Elizabeth Oval, View Street, Bendigo:
Under-16 seniors at 8.45am: Sandhurst v Strathfieldsaye.
Saturday at Harry Trott Oval, Neale Street, Kennington:
Under-12E at 8.45am: North Bendigo Red v Maiden Gully YCW.
Under-12C at 10.15am: Maiden Gully YCW v Golden Square.
Under-12D at 11.45am: South Bendigo (3) v St Monica’s.
Under-12B at 1.15pm: Eaglehawk Eagles v White Hills Black.
Sunday at Triple M Park, Tannery Lane, Strathfieldsaye:
Under-12A at 8.45am: St Francis v Maiden Gully YCW.
Under-16 reserves, division one at 10.15am: Castlemaine v Huntly.
Under-16 reserves, division two at 12.05pm: Marong v Rochester.
Under-15 Girls, seniors at 1.55pm: Sandhurst v Strathfieldsaye.
Under-14 seniors at 3.25pm: Sandhurst v Strathfieldsaye.
Sunday at Enterprise Oval, Tannery Lane, Strathfieldsaye:
Under-14 reserves, division three at 9am: North Bendigo v White Hills.
Under-14 reserves, division one at 10.55am: White Hills v Rochester.
Under-15 Girls, reserves at 12.50pm: Kangaroo Flat v Sandhurst.
Under-14 reserves, division two at 2.20pm: Maryborough v Marong.