By Grant Hitzman
Pine Rivers and Beenleigh will clash this Saturday at Zillmere, for a SEQAFL Division 3 grand final spot.
Beenleigh will be looking to avoid a straight sets knockout after falling agonisingly short against Coomera in last week’s qualifying final.
Pine Rivers are up and about after a thrilling 17-point win against Logan in last week’s semi-final, momentum and confidence sky high for the Swans.
The fierce competitors have faced off twice this season, splitting the honours.
Beenleigh outclassed the Swans at home in round three by 21 points, before being thrashed to the tune of 58 points in round 12.
On a neutral ground, it’s anyone’s game.
And with a grand final spot up for grabs, you can expect both teams to fight tooth and nail to get over the line on Saturday.
Pine Rivers senior coach, Ben Long, is desperate for his players to progress to the decider, but is not underestimating the quality and depth of the Buffaloes outfit.
“I’ve lost prelims before and it hurts. Knowing that you just missed out on the opportunity to win a flag is a gutting feeling, being on the sidelines on Grand Final day isn’t fun,” Long said.
“The last two times we have played Beenleigh, they have been really physical games, so I’m expecting a step-up again tomorrow.”
“We aren’t just going to waltz in there and get the win because we beat them last time, it is going to be a battle. They have some big weapons in their side and we aren’t taking that lightly.”
Pine Rivers will head into tomorrow’s clash full of confidence after extending their winning streak to 7 in last weeks semi-final against Logan.
“Last week was a massive confidence boost for us, bigger than all our previous wins combined because we rated Logan so highly,” Long said.
“We are looking forward to getting out on the field tomorrow and laying everything on the line. I know Beenleigh will, so if we don’t bring our A-game, we won’t win, it’s that simple.”
The seniors will take the field tomorrow at 2:15 at O’Callaghan Park, Zillmere with the winner progressing to the decider against Coomera on August 24th.
