by Alex Suchocki
QAFA (A) Qualifying Final
Redcliffe Tigers v Pine River Swans
Saturday August 9, 2pm, Rothwell Park
Week one of finals footy is set be a cracker, kicking off with the qualifying final between the Redcliffe Tigers and the Pine Rivers Swans.
Last time these two teams met was last week, where Pine Rivers put on a solid display at their home turf, taking out the win 92-62.
At the end of the home and away season, Redcliffe sit at second with 13 wins and 3 losses followed closely by Pine Rivers who’s third, on the brink of finals footy.
Both teams have been damaging in the lead up, cementing themselves in a finals campaign with seven straight wins from rounds 11 through to 17.
Pine Rivers senior coach, Ben Long says he is expecting a tight contest from the get go.
“I certainly have a lot of respect for Redcliffe, they have been the benchmark of the competition all season,” he said.
Cameron Colvin from Pine Rivers has had another great year in front of the big sticks, having booted 68 goals for the season. Not far behind is Redcliffe’s James Niven who has slotted 55 majors. Each side has their weapons in attack, which will make for a ferocious contest in the midfield.
“The game will be won in the middle of the ground where we need to be physical in and around the midfield so we can get some good delivery to our forwards,” Long said.
When looking back at the history between the two teams, trying to learn and observe how the opposition plays is proving difficult. Recent form suggests that Pine Rivers will go into the match confident, however Redcliffe put on a clinic against them back in round nine, where they won by 51 points.
“Every game is different, we played well last week against them, but they had the better of us the time before.” Long said.
It is interesting to note that Redcliffe has an astonishing record at home having won all of their home games and taking the scalps of front-runners, Griffith-Moorooka.
With this in mind, it is set out to be a blockbuster with both teams pushing to secure their spot in the preliminary finals.
Elimination Final
University of Queensland v Ipswich
Saturday August 9, 2pm, St Lucia Oval 7
The clash between University of Queensland and Ipswich is a vital do or die game for both teams as they aim to stake a claim in the finals.
Having finished fourth and fifth respectively, both teams are fighting it out in an elimination final. This means they are walking the tight rope by chasing a spot in the semi finals.
The last time these two teams met was back in round 12, where UQ had the home ground advantage, escaping with the win in a tight contest 93-72.
David Doherty is enjoying his year in the QAFA for UQ, where he had his say on the game booting three goals to get his team across the line.
UQ has had a tough run home, where they fell victim to competition heavy weights Griffith Moorooka and Redcliffe. They are hoping revatilise their form and bounce back this weekend.
On the other hand, Ipswich has also had a shaky end to the home and away season having lost two of their last three games.
UQ’s home ground advantage may be a crucial decider in the result; having beaten their opposition at home five out of their eight games.
With both teams with a point to prove, we can expect a tight, hard tussle.
