By Chris ‘Yeendy’ Yeend
TIGERS ROAR INTO DECIDER
After getting bundled out in week one of the 2020 finals at the hands of Morningside by four-points, Labrador turned the tables on their 2020 opponents and secured a courageous 25-point win to advance through to the 2021 Colts Grand Final.
With a spot in the big dance on the line for the winner, Labrador was determined to showcase its improvement from 2020 and that it was the team to beat in 2021, now winning 16 of 16 matches across the season.
The Panthers were determined to capitalise on all of their good work for the season with a red-hot start. The Tigers stormed out of the blocks with the opening two goals of the first quarter through star forward Josh Young and Ky Nicholls.
Labrador held Morningside goal-less in the first term to hold a slender 13-point lead.
Bailey Brown and Sam Mercer added a goal each shortly after the quarter-time break to extend the lead to 25-points, six-minutes into the second term.
The damage was getting worse for the Panthers when Young added two goals in as many minutes either side of time-on to blow the margin out to a staggering 40-points.
Zac Melling scored a late goal for the Panthers just before half-time to cut the margin back to 33-points heading into half-time.
Could Morningside jump on the back of Melling’s late goal heading into the half-time break or could Labrador take away any chance of a fightback with an early goal? Young answered that question seven-minutes into the third term when he kicked his fourth and Labrador’s last goal at the seven-minute mark to extend the margin out to 39-points.
From that point, Morningside was all about adding respectability onto the scoreboard, finishing the game with the final two goals as Labrador celebrated victory, and avoided its lowest score of the season (8.4.52 v Mt Gravatt).
Labrador 2.2, 7.5, 8.5, 8.6 (54) defeated Morningside 0.1, 2.2, 3.5, 4.5 (29)
Goals: (Labrador) J. Young 4, S. Mercer, K. Nicholls, B. Brown, A. Fyfe 1.
(Morningside) H. Taylor 2, Z. Melling, S. Gorman 1.
Best: (Labrador) N. Wright, J. Riddle, S. Mercer, C. Lake, O. Wallace, E. White.
CATS STAY ALIVE
Broadbeach has kept its finals’ hopes alive with a commanding 30-point victory over Maroochydore at Morningside on Saturday.
The win for Broadbeach sets up the potential for an ‘all Gold Coast’ Grand Final after Labrador defeated Morningside on the same day to progress through to the decider. Broadbeach now take on Morningside in this Saturday’s Preliminary Final at Labrador.
The Cats were sublime from the outside, kicking the first goal of the game through Kobe Cumming. The Roos responded shortly after through Deklan Faulkner who put his team ahead by one-point. That lead was short-lived as the Cats hit the front minutes later at the 11.5-minute mark through Connar Robson and never surrounded the lead for the rest of the contest.
Broadbeach led by nine-points at quarter-time and extended the lead to 15-points at the main break.
Bailey Hahn and Faulkner kicked goals for the Roos to cut the margin back to just two-points at the 17-minute mark of a tight third quarter.
Broadbeach responded with four unanswered goals either side of three-quarter time in the space of 17-minutes to celebrate an impressive victory.
Broadbeach 3.1, 4.4, 5.9, 8.12 (60) defeated Maroochydore 1.4, 1.7, 3.10, 3.12 (30)
Goals: (Broadbeach) C. Parkes 3, H. Tonks 2, C. Jenkins, K. Cumming, C. Robson 1.
(Maroochydore) D. Faulkner 2, B. Hahn 1.
Best (Broadbeach) E. Stortenbeker, L. Whitewood, C. Parkes, J. Rogers, J. Eckersley, C. Munro.
(Maroochydore) J. Ellen, H. Moore, L. Gregory, L. McDonald, T. Cuthbert, A. Johnston.
Picture by Cheers Photography
