By Simon Devine
If you wanted to see an amazing game of football on the weekend you need not have looked any further than the Under18 Division 1 Shield Grand Final which was held at Coorparoo on Saturday. Stars of the future were on show and they didn’t disappoint.
More than 500 people – including Mt Gravatt and Morningside senior players – turned out in picture perfect conditions to cheer on their clubs.
Teams ran onto the field with theme songs ringing loudly before lining up for the national anthem. With formalities complete it was time for the real job to start and neither team failed to deliver.
The first quarter saw both teams play good hard and close football with the ball going end to end. The scoreboard wasn’t seeing much action early due to the inability of both teams to get that final kick on goal. At the end of the first quarter both teams went in with the same score: 2 goals 1 behind.
I’m not sure what Morningside coach Adrian Arnold said to his charges during the break but they played exceptional football in the 2nd quarter. Led by Matthew Cook and Jackson Coppin Morningside grabbed the ascendancy and went in to the half-time break with their tails up and a very handy lead.
Whatever Adrian said to his boys at quarter time Mt Gravatt coach Derek Berry must have replicated at half-time, spurring the Vultures to deliver their best quarter of football for 2012. Not only did they kicked 5 goals 5, they also managed to keep Morningside scoreless for to head into the last quarter with an 11-point lead.
The final quarter was an epic 20 minutes of football with players throwing themselves in at every contest. The lead changed several times but Morningside eventually prevailed by 4-points to be crowned 2012 Premiers for the SEQAFL Under 18 Division 1 Shield competition.
Despite just missed out on the flag Mt Gravatt should be proud of their season, not only for the effort of pushing Morningside all the way but also of the effort by power forward Leigh Stones who was awarded the Best on Ground honour for his game.
Both coaches applauded the efforts of their own team as well as the opposition in the post match presentation and are looking forward to planning for season 2013.
