New dad Adam Boon may miss PBC final
By TERRY WILSON
Semi Final (1)
Palm Beach Currumbin v Mt Gravatt
At Salk Oval, 2pm
Ins: Palm Beach Currumbin – Tom Thynne, Jason Burge, Jackson Emblem, Alex Dawson. Mt Gravatt – Zac Young, Sam Winterbottom.
Outs: Palm Beach Currumbin – Cooper Portelli (inj), Jack Johnston (inj), Liam McNeven (omit), Dean Katsiris (omit). Mt Gravatt – Mitchell Hart (omit), Braydon O’Dea (omit).
Last time they met: Palm Beach Currumbin 15.12 (102) d Mt Gravatt 7.12 (54), R9 at Salk Oval.
PATERNAL duties are set to keep Mt Gravatt coach Adam Boon away from the Vultures’ elimination final at Salk Oval on Saturday.
Boon and his partner Jessica Dayes welcomed their first child, a daughter they have named Haddie Rae, into the world late on Thursday night.
Understandably Boon is hesitant to make the trip down the M1 for the clash on the Gold Coast but is expected to make a decision as late as Saturday morning.
If Boon does not make the match coaching duties will be handed over to Mt Gravatt coaching director, former Morningside and Western Bulldogs AFL player Tom Williams.
The eliminator, between teams placed third (PBC) and sixth (MTG) on the ladder, will put one club in mothballs with the winners locked into a preliminary final against Morningside the following weekend.
PBC and Mt Gravatt played their final-round fixture only last weekend when the Lions beat the Vultures by 48 points, also at Salk Oval.
Since then the Lions have been boosted by the returns of key defender Jackson Emblem, midfielders Jason Burge and Tom Thynne and flanker Alex Dawson.
Emblem, in particular, is set to be a key player on gifted Mt Gravatt forward Jonah Licht, who kicked five the last time around at Salk Oval.
PBC coach Jess Sinclair suggested the final margin then may have been a touch misleading.
“If they had taken their opportunities in the third quarter it would have been a lot closer,” he said.
“They set up well and are well organised.”
Williams said the Vultures ‘have to do everything better than we did last week’.
“We gave them a fair lead, then halted their momentum and started making inroads,” he said.
The Vultures have two changes from last weekend.
Into the side are mids/small forwards Zac Young and Sam Winterbottom, players with pace and who are members of the Brisbane Lions Academy.
The Vultures will be hoping to avoid a third successive elimination final loss on the Gold Coast.
In 2018 they crashed to Surfers Paradise at Sir Bruce Small Park and last year they lost to Broadbeach at Subaru Oval.
Roos continue to chase history
By TERRY WILSON
Semi Final (2)
Sherwood v Maroochydore
At McCarthy Homes Oval, 2pm
Ins: Sherwood – Ethan Sivijs, Riley Easton. Maroochydore – Josh Filo, Zac Stone, Matt McCosker, Max McDonald.
Outs: Sherwood – Zane Lovell (omit), Rory Johnson (omit). Maroochydore – Lachlan O’Toole (omit),
Last time they met: Maroochydore 12.7 (79) d Sherwood 6.12 (48), Round 6 at Maroochydore Multisports Complex.
COMPETITION newcomers Maroochydore have already made history by becoming the first Sunshine Coast team to make state league finals.
Although teams from that region have played in finals before, they have been in lower divisions, as was the case for the Roos in QFA over the past three years.
Last weekend Maroochydore won back-to-back for the first time and they also won on the road for the first time when they beat Surfers Paradise in a result that pushed them into the top six for this year’s play-offs.
Now they have the tough task of travelling to McCarthy Homes Oval on Saturday to play Sherwood in one of two elimination finals this weekend.
But, given they downed the Magpies the last time they played, in the sixth round at Maroochydore, the visitors will go into the clash full of confidence.
They beat Sherwood by 31 points back then, on the back of a good defensive effort that restricted the Magpies’ taller forwards to not one multiple goalkicker.
That will no doubt be the tactics adopted by coach Andrew Cadzow, especially with ruckman Max McDonald and Matt McCosker back in the side.
The Roos also added midfielders Josh Filo and Zac Stone among four changes to their side.
Sherwood have two changes. They regain talented youngsters Ethan Sivijs and 2018 Rising Star Award winner Riley Easton.
The winner of this clash earns the right to play Broadbeach on the Gold Coast in a preliminary final next weekend.
Team Lists
