Wellington AFLMen

Bulldogs make it a 3-peat

The Eastern Bulldogs dominated the 2022 Wellington AFL Grand Final, victorious over the Hutt Valley Eagles. The Bulldogs performed strongly across the park, running the Eagles ragged with a skillful and fast paced handball game. The Eagles provided a fast start, winning a lot of the early ball and kicking the first goal of the match through full forward James Kusel. The Bulldogs’ early nerves calmed as they worked themselves back into the match through midfield veterans Michael Martinez, Matt Goosen, Tom Robinson, and Dale Sabbagh cleaning up loose ball.

The Tigers have a history of finishing off their opponents in the fourth quarter, and sure enough they would continue this trend. Kicking 2 goals to tie up the game at 32 all, momentum was on their side. With 10 minutes to go a serious injury caused a halt to gameplay and when the clock started ticking over, the Tigers were relentless in their efforts, finishing off the game with a quick fire 3 goals.

The Grand Final Caps off another great season for the North Shore Tigers, and saw a brilliant end to a the 2022 Auckland AFL Season

However, the Magpies were relentless in their efforts all game. AAFLW Best and Fairest and runner up, Jolyn Collins and Catriona O’Brian showed why they are among the league’s best, constantly getting their hands on the ball and putting continuous pressure on the Tigers defence.

Unable to capitalise on their scoring shots, the Tigers struggled to close the gap, and the pressure put on by the Magpies, let points continue to slip through eventually coming away with a 49 point win to finish the season