By Chris ‘Yeendy’ Yeend
Elimination Final – 1 | Redland-Victoria Point
Broadbeach v Maroochydore
In Brief
With Labrador and Morningside controlling proceedings at the head of the ladder, the bottom half of the six created plenty of excitement. It ended in an anti-climax with the premature ending of the season, but it worked out well for Maroochydore who secured its place in the finals; six points behind this week’s opponents, Broadbeach.
Meetings this year – NONE
Players to watch
Broadbeach
Daniel Grose – a very dangerous player, he kicked six goals in the 18-point win over Redland-Victoria Point back in Round 11; and has continued to be a force in each match surrounding that performance. He was rewarded for his hard efforts and overall consistency with five matches in the Senior team. He will be very tough to shut down.
Luke O’Rourke – started the season in style with four goals in his opening game of the year against Noosa and has followed up with eight-goals across the remaining games. A former Under 18s product of the club, he has some valuable skills and has the capacity to keep the scoreboard ticking over.
Alexander Mahoney – like with most people, COVID really derailed his progress. He kicked nine goals in two of his three games and was rightfully rewarded with a Senior call-up. Goals will be at a premium in this game and if he is in the team, he will be tough to beat.
Maroochydore
Sam Curtis – a one-man wrecking machine in the forward line with 18 goals across the season. On no fewer than six occasions did he kicked two goals or more and that level of consistency is crucial during this type of season.
Thomas Holt – with a dozen appearances at Senior level over the passed few seasons, he has been a goal kicker and a brilliant ball winner when he gets his chance in the team. With 13 goals to his name this year and countless inspiring performances, look for him to be a major part in the win for the Roos if it happens.
Lachlan Toole – reliable and gets the job done. Has enjoyed time between Reserves and Senior football for a number of seasons now and shows that he is of tremendous value for either team. Reliable, great kick and one that you can trust to be efficient with ball in hand when the pressure is on.
How will this match unfold
It’s been a great season for both sides. Only seven-points separate the pair in attack across the season but Broadbeach has proven that its backline has been one of the best in the competition, third overall. Sitting 1-3 after the opening month and conceding 10 goals or more in all of those matches, the Cats have responded well with a mirror image of their start, winning three of its last four games and kicking 16 and 17 goals in that stretch.
The Roos head in with three wins from its last four games. An earlier game against finalist Surfers Paradise saw them leak 125 points in a tough day for the team, but has conceded an average of seven goals a game since.
It’s hard to get a firm idea of where either side are positioned considering the closeness of the ladder in the top six, and that the pair haven’t faced off before. If you go by the defense of Broadbeach, that might be the key to it securing victory.
Elimination Final – 2 | Surfers Paradise
Palm Beach Currumbin v Surfers Paradise
In Brief
Expect plenty of fireworks between the pair in one of the great contests of Reserves football in season 2021. If the Round 12 clash was an indicator of what is to come in this game (PBC by four-points).
PBC and Surfers Paradise have both been dynamic in the backline, conceding a staggering 792 points each. The fact that two opponents in finals have conceded the same amount of points is almost unheard of; but Surfers Paradise has shown that it is one of the premier attacking teams in the competition with 1039 points, just behind Morningside on 1056.
Meeting this year
Round 12 – Palm Beach Currumbin 9.6 (60) defeated Surfers Paradise 8.8 (56)
Players to watch
Palm Beach Currumbin
Ethan Dawson – a product of the Colts system, he made his Senior debut this year after a string of great performances in the Reserves. He slotted through 21 goals including hauls of four or more on three occasions and even managed a goal for the Seniors against Surfers Paradise back in June. He has 26 goals across both levels this year and has shown he is a force.
Lachlan Torpy – what a season he has had. He kicked nine goals in the win over Noosa one week and made a much-deserved Senior debut the following week, shades of Joel Jeffrey for Gold Coast this year. He has slotted through 17 goals this year and has the potential to explode up forward when opportunities go his way.
Bronson Howard – a product of the Colts system, he has been outstanding this year when the time was needed for him to step up. He has found the goals on 10 occasions and has been consistently reliable around the ground.
Surfers Paradise
Cameron Poharama – COVID really did a number on this star forward. With two goals or more in nine games, he has exploded this season with 36 goals including two in the clash against PBC. He has a bag of six to his name against Maroochydore, the team he also kicked four against in the last game before COVID. With the Roos being finalists in a tough competition, his form is worth watching.
Ethan Mackie – an ever-reliable presence around the contest in each of his eight games this year. He has been outstanding in six of those games and is a genuine hard-worker that the team relies on to get the job done.
Zane Baker – the forward line is always dangerous with Zane’s presence. He has kicked goals in 13 of 16 games this year and multiples on four occasions. He helps make the forward line look much stronger.
How will this match unfold
As a football fan, you would hope we have a repeat of the earlier season clash between the pair that went to four points.
The Demons burst of the blocks to start the season with 13 goals or more in its first five games and had them 4-1 to start the season. They have won only four games since and just two in its last six matches.
PBC has yet to reach the century this year on the scoreboard front but still managed to rely on its backline to keep the opposition forwards in check. It has lost its last three matches following the inspiring four-point win against the Demons.
This will be a really tough match with the winning team scoring no more than 10 goals. The Demons will rely on its forward line to conjur up a score that will put PBC under pressure. Buckle up, this will be decided in the last five-minutes of the game and perhaps the match of the weekend.
