WFL Grand Finals Saints’ big chance to make history BY DEAN LAWSON
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Grand finals At Warracknabeal Seniors: Horsham Saints v Horsham Reserves: Minyip-Murtoa v Horsham Saints Under-17s: Ararat v Stawell Under-14s: Ararat v Horsham
ressure! What pressure?
To suggest Horsham Saints will carry a huge weight of expectation into Saturday’s Wimmera Football League grand final would be a gross understatement. For fear of sounding like a broken record, the Saints, the league benchmarks all year and warm favourites to win the flag, are the only club in the competition yet to win a senior premiership. Do we need to again rattle off how many times the Saints have been Wimmera league’s runners-up since joining the competition in 1993? No? Too bad, here it is again: Seven! Those seven efforts for no cigars is like an open sore that refuses to heal for many of the Saints faithful who, regardless of their club’s consistent finals appearances, refuse to acknowledge any success until they have senior silverware in the cabinet. Horsham has been one of the clubs to deny the Saints their
glory on more than one occasion and no doubt will be plotting to again trip up its arch-rival at the finish line. Form throughout the year points to Horsham Saints finally winning that elusive pennant but the build-up has a certain familiarity that is sure to make anyone having a punt on the big game to hesitate. History shows that Horsham came from a three-quarter-time deficit in last year’s grand final at Stawell to snatch a last-gasp victory against the Saints. Despite the result being ancient history in football terms, you can bet it will be seared into the memory of several players in red, white and black who will no doubt use
Horsham Saints
Coach: Shayne Breuer. Foll: Michael Rowe, Sam Clyne, Nathan Byrne. F: Jacob O’Beirne B: Jack Mentha
HF: Sam Jasper HB: Sean Christopher
C: Dan Rees C: Billy Bennett
Coaches: Brad Hartigan, Nick Pekin.
this weekend to ‘make things right’. Whether the history and build-up motivates or distracts the Saints remains to be seen but one thing is for sure – Wimmera league fans are in for a mighty treat of intense country football. The Saints have had a minimal amount of football during the finals, courtesy of a topspot finish and a qualifying final win against the Demons. Horsham, which finished second, has had to tough it out week-to-week, and was only assured of a grand-final berth after a hard-earned win in 26-degree conditions over Minyip-Murtoa last week. Horsham coach Nick Pekin
Inter: From, Tom Payne, F: Pat Knott Phil Butsch, Matt B: Brandon Patterson Combe, Andy F: Gavin Kelm Devereaux, Sam B: Ben Lakin Shepherd, Dennis HF: Jacob Cooke-Harrison Adams. HB: Jeremy Hartigan HF: Heath Watson HB: Rhona Conboy
C: Nathan Clough C: Brad Hartigan
HB: Fergus O’Connor HF: Alex Harfield
HB: Ryan Bird HF: Jordyn Burke
C: Kyle O’Connor C: Ryan Kemp
HB: Ben Martin HF: Alex Thomson
B: Matt Butler F: Joel Geue
Foll: Billy Carberry, Simon Hobbs, Nick Pekin.
B: Garry Hallam F: Luke Carr
B: Xander McRae F: Beau Nelson
Inter: Harry Young, Darcy Taylor, Baillie Batchelor, Trent Woolman, Nathan Kelly, Daniel Souter, Reagan Smith.
Horsham Demons
CLOSE ATTENTION: Horsham’s Simon Hobbs in the thick of the action against MinyipMurtoa in the preliminary final. Picture: WILLAMY IMAGES
was far from concerned this week that his team had experienced little respite before the big game. “Sure we would have liked to have gone straight into the grand final but to be honest I think it’s better to continue playing and to experience winning as a team right to the end. There is nothing like match fitness,” he said. “Being the underdog is a good status to have. It means the pressure is on them and we can simply go on and play our natural game. “They will be thinking about things in the back of their minds but they will also be hungry for success, and we will have to work hard. I think the main battle will be in the middle of the ground, whoever wins there – out of the guts – will have the advantage.”
Injuries
Saints coach Shayne Breuer said the Saints’ preparation had been better than last year. “There’s no perfect preparation for a grand final. You prepare the best you can with what you have. Hopefully we have good weather and a good day,” he said. “Horsham knows how to win grand finals and you have to bring your best game to compete against them. All we can really do is just ask the guys to do the best they can.” Typical pre-final speculation was hovering over both camps early this week. The Saints were keeping close tabs on players such as
Matt Combe, Jacob CookeHarrison, Sam Jasper and Andy Devereaux and Phil Butsch who were all under injury or availability clouds. The biggest question was whether last year’s Binns Medallist and long-time star forward Gavin Kelm, also troubled by injury this year, would line up for the Saints. The Saints will also await a tribunal outcome involving Dennis Adams tonight. Adams is facing a conduct--unbecoming charge from an incident involving Horsham’s Beau Nelson in the second semi-final.
Lakin and Conboy
For the Demons, all eyes were on another veteran and potential match-winner Luke Carr, who appeared to seriously hurt his shoulder last weekend. For the Saints to win they will need to consistently penetrate spirited Horsham defensive lines, headed by in-form duo Ben Lakin and Rhona Conboy. Both have been superb, especially in the past month and, with the likes of Jack Mentha, Jeremy Hartigan, Brandon Patterson and co, provide a launching pad for Horsham forward thrusts. Joint coaches Brad Hartigan and Pekin provide inspired leadership out of the middle under in-form ruckman Billy Carberry, and have Simon Hobbs and Ryan Kemp in form at the right time of year. Darcy Taylor will provide a hard-ball example in the packs and the Demons will push into attack through Jordyn Burke if
they can, and open the game for the likes of Alex Thomson, Alex Harfield, Beau Nelson and Nathan Kelly. Joel Geue again looms as the perennial goal-kicking wildcard and how Sean Christopher plays could well prove telling in the result.
Options
The Saints have appeared balanced across the lines all year and are sure to use the big Warracknabeal oval to run and scatter to open goal-kicking options. Players such as Dan Rees, Kyle and Ferg O’Connor, Sam Clyne, Nathan Byrne and Tom Pain will work closely and feed off the 50-50 work of Nathan Clough, Ryan Bird, Xander McRae, Matt Butler and Garry Hallam. Ruckman Michael Rowe will have a huge role to give the Saints first use of the ball and his battle with Carberry should be a beauty. The Saints will need to exploit the creativity of its players in attack with Jacob O’Beirne likely to open the goal face with his left foot and Pat Knott sure to trouble any defender. Talented Cooke-Harrison, if he can get touches early, will be dangerous. Up the spine there are probably no more experienced combinations in the competition than Heath Watson and Kelm. The game is primed to rightfully be one of the best for the season and it is this year that the Saints will break the ice and win by 23 points.
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