Broadford Reserves kept its Outer East finals journey alive after defeating Alexandra in a 15-point comeback victory.
The Kangaroos started strong, leading by five points at the end of the first term before Alexandra made a second-quarter comeback to head into halftime leading 2.5 (17) to 2.1 (13).
Out of halftime, the Rebels continued their run, with 16 scoring shots to Broadford’s seven, leading by 14 points at the end of the third quarter.
Alexandra played with an air of confidence, with plenty of verbal banter directed towards Broadford players throughout the game.
The Rebels looked like they were going to end Broadford’s finals campaign. That was until Broadford’s Jake Lovell stepped up, kicking a goal on the siren at the end of the third quarter, and leaving the side buzzing as it headed into the break.
A rev-up by coach Alwin Neilson and the excitement of the Broadford crowd fuelled the Roos as they came out in the fourth quarter.
In the opening minutes of the last term, Brodie Stray kicked a snap goal from the boundary, adding more fuel to the fire for the Kangaroos. They continued to fight back in the fourth, kicking five goals to take the victory and secure a preliminary final.
Broadford left Alexandra goalless in the fourth quarter with final scores 9.5 (59) to Alexandra’s 5.14 (44).
Broadford president Bonnie Cavanagh said it was ‘like a fairytale’.
“They’re such a good group of people and it’s just such a great reward for the side,” she said.
“For them to come up and really hit their straps during the finals to come away with the win was just awesome.
“The football hasn’t seen success for such a long time. They’ve been chipping away and to get one of the teams through to the preliminary final is just a massive rewarding effort for the boys and I hope they can go all the way. I really think they could.
“The players all stood up in the end, they worked for each other, and I think they have a bit of belief and hopefully that momentum will carry them through.”
While the Kangaroos had plenty of support on Saturday as its Reserves and four netball teams played at Yarra Junction and Woori Yallock, Broadford spectators will have a closer journey to support as the club hosts the division two preliminary final on Saturday.
Kicking off at noon, Broadford Reserves will play Powelltown, who finished second on the ladder but come off a 22-point second semi-final loss.
Netball
All four Broadford netball teams lost in the first round of finals on Saturday, however the A and B grade side have a second chance to secure a grand final appearance.
Broadford’s under 17s lost by two goals to Powelltown in a close game, with Broadford’s Holly Dawson, Shayla White and Taylah Evans named among the best.
Broadford C grade netballers also lost to Powelltown in a competitive game, going down 25 to 31.
Broadford held a three-goal lead at quarter-time and the margin was just one goal at the main break. However Powelltown scored 10 goals in the third term to lead by three at the last change before securing the five-goal win.
“The C grade side were certainly the stronger team on the day and the scoreboard didn’t reflect the game whatsoever,” Cavanagh said.
“Finals are a different ball game and unfortunately, we were just short on the day. We’re a very strong unit.
“The girls can hold their heads up. They put in a strong performance, and it just wasn’t enough to run out the full game in the end.”
In the B Grade game, Warburton controlled the game from the outset, leading by two goals at halftime before extending its lead out by nine in the third quarter before defeating Broadford 39 to 32.
“Warburton are a really professional, well drilled netball department,” Cavanagh said.
“They probably wanted it a little bit more than we did in the end and we just couldn’t pair back the lead in wet conditions.
“Hopefully it was the loss they needed before coming home strong.”
Broadford’s A grade netballers suffered a 28-goal loss to Warburton but the Kangaroos’ grand final hopes remain alive as they head into a preliminary final on Saturday.
The A and B grade netball sides head into preliminary finals against Yarra Glen, with the A Grade match at 11.45am and B Grade at 1.10pm.
