ALL THE ZING
HALF THE SUGAR NEW
ALCOHOLIC GINGER BEER
THE FINAL WORD BY PETER CORNWALL
Sturt coach Martin Mattner
Central mentor Paul Thomas
MARTIN MATTNER (Sturt) The Blues have been in the top two pretty much all season but now, with injuries and an untimely suspension to Will Coomblas after a hard-fought qualifying final loss to Adelaide, they front up to a do-or-die final against up-and-coming Central District. But Mattner’s backing the club’s depth – Sturt is in the reserves second semi-final – to make the most of its doublechance. “We worked hard to finish top three so if we lose we do get a second opportunity,” he said. And the dual premiership coach is looking at the positives of last week’s loss. “I thought we played really good footy – we executed a lot of things very well,” he said, although in the second half the Blues missed some key chances. “The big moments in finals, you’ve got to make the most of them.”
PAUL THOMAS (Central District) It’s been a huge year for the northern club with finals participation in all grades and the league team snaring its first final win in six years, knocking out Port Adelaide in the elimination final. “It’s super exciting for our club,” said Thomas of a year that has seen the Bulldogs’ women’s team win a historic first premiership. “It’s really good for our community and our football club.” Sturt has proved hard for Central to beat and even though it has some players sidelined Thomas said the Blues would be “a challenge”. “They have certainly got some depth to call on – I think they will be quite strong but we will be ready to play whoever rolls out against us. We’re quite healthy and ready to go.”
DARREN REEVES (Glenelg) The week’s break as minor premier was handy for the Bays. “It was good to have a weekend off … a few of our boys who have had some niggles were able to freshen up a little bit, we had a great training session on Saturday morning and we’re ready to go. The guys are in a good space, we’re fit and healthy and there will be no excuses – we’re looking forward to the opportunity.” Reeves, who said he was “quite relaxed” in the build-up to his first final as a senior coach, was impressed by the way the Crows hit back from a 35-point deficit to beat Sturt in the qualifying final, saying “they were incredibly brave – they are going to be a real challenge”. Glenelg coach Darren Reeves
MICK GODDEN (Adelaide) Do you reckon the Crows boss was a proud man after his side stormed home to beat Sturt? And his players’ motivation to keep on winning couldn’t be greater. “We’ve always said we want to win it and we will continue to say that,” Godden said. “The players are in a great head space. The intent and the passion are there, we just have to execute. Clearly you don’t come back from that far down without passion.” Godden knows the Tigers are dangerous. “(Glenelg has) a very good forward line and one you don’t want to come up against when you’ve got a less experienced backline. But it’s a team-defence game and we’ll try to make sure the ball doesn’t go down there as much or easily.” Adelaide boss Mick Godden
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