In an interesting turn of events, Whittlesea footballers encountered a significant clash at the weekend against South Morang, who will now go straight to the Grand Final, while the Eagles will need to take on one more game.
Reaching closer to the finals, the Eagles were on top of their game in the first quarter, scoring 15 points, but the quarter was relatively quiet for South Morang until the remaining quarters when the side ignited a spark.
The second and third quarters were a series of goals from both sides.
South Morang began to show its Grand Final worth in the second quarter, delivering four goals and several behinds, while the Eagles could only form behinds, which placed South Morang in front, 39-19.
But it was not all over for the Eagles, making the most of the third quarter for a direct chance at finals.
The Eagles were direct, and determined for a turnaround, moving swiftly across the field to attain several goals and behinds, to be only five points behind South Morang at the end of the third quarter.
Knowing the final quarter was a direct shot at finals, the last quarter only saw goal after goal.
Both sides showcased its best form of football, but South Morang took the Grand Final place in the end, winning the match with 83-77.
The six-point loss was Whittlesea’s first loss of the Division 2 MC Labour Seniors 2024 season.
Whittlesea will play the Preliminary Final this Saturday against Diamond Creek at Epping Recreational Reserve.
End of season for Mernda
The Preliminary Final was the end of the road for Mernda’s Division 3 Heidelberg Golf Club Seniors at the weekend.
Neither Mernda nor the Old Paradians pursued a goal in the first quarter, with the only points recorded were behinds, giving Mernda a three-point lead.
The game was beginning to unfold for the Old Paradians in the second quarter, restricting Mernda to one goal, while the Old Paradians showed a preview of a finals game, kicking six behinds and ten goals.
After a huge performance in the second quarter with a 57-point lead, the Old Paradians settled in its kicking position to make its way to the Grand Final.
Mernda aimed for a change in the last two quarters, but the high-scoring efforts from the Old Paradians kept Mernda in its place, and ended the match with 114-53.
Mernda ended the season in third place with 11 wins and five losses, while the Old Paradians will take on the Fitzroy Stars in the Grand Final this Saturday at Lalor Reserve.
