Premier B Grand Final Preview: Fields vs Scotch

Jake Morris

Despite holding a strong 31-point lead midway through the third term, Old Scotch had to rely on some stable pillars of their elite defensive structure to see off a ferocious University Blacks outfit by five-points to advance to William Buck Premier in 2020, and a Grand Final clash against Caulfield Grammarians this weekend. Following majors from Xavier Vearing and Ben Haysman to bring the Scotch lead back to just five points with four minutes to play, it would take three consecutive last line of defence marks from Charlie Cormack, James Samson and Jordan Clarke to repel their counterparts surge and secure a memorable victory at Elsternwick Park.

As well as taking one of the game saving marks deep into the final term, James Sansom also bagged himself three critical majors in a best on ground performance, while Nick Jamieson, Charlie Cormack and Jack Bull also received the votes in a remarkable game of football. Heartbreak for Uni Blacks who for the second year in a row come up short in a preliminary final and miss the cut off for a return to William Buck Premier, extending their Premier B stay to three seasons. Joel Ernest and Ben Haysmen both kicked two while the one-two punch of Josh Steadman and Jordan Quaile fought gallantly all afternoon to give their side the best opportunity to advance. Blacks will lick their wounds and looks to bounce back in 2020 with a fresh approach, hopefully not too many changes and a keen eye still on promotion next season.

Preview

Caulfield Grammarians vs Old Scotch

After 169 days, 93 matches and an impressive 38 victories between them, it all comes down to this. The two best sides all year in Caulfield Grammarians, fresh off a week on the sidelines, and Old Scotch, who come off a monumental victory over Uni Blacks, will go at it once again for the right to be crowned Premiers of Premier B for 2019. After duelling out a classic just a fortnight ago, which saw the Fields secure the win by the smallest of margins, it would take quite a show for the sequel this weekend to match the original, but would we be surprised?

With the elite talent each side possess, it is no surprise that these are the two outfits jostling it out for the flag. Star Will Edwards leads a tough in and under midfield core that helped produce ample opportunities to the highest scoring forward line in the competition, led by Julian Dobosz and Will Barker, while Lachie Harris, Joseph McClelland and the X-factor Brendon Goddard has helped Caulfield achieve the stingiest defensive mark in the competition, conceding just over 52-points a game.

Arguably possessing the greatest ruckman in the competition and GT Moore Medallist Tom Downie, Scotch already may have the advantage in the middle of ground, especially if the likes of James Sansom, Will Mitchell and Jack Bull are on song, they are a very tough midfield line-up to handle. Downie’s ability to go forward and work with the likes of Josh Halsall and Andrew Jelbart also could cause some headaches, while Charlie Cormack and company will be tasked once again to come up big like they did on the weekend as Julian Dobosz makes his way to Elsternwick Park.

Caulfield hold the ascendancy in head to head battles, winning two of the three games this season, including that one-point qualifying final thriller, while Scotch hold the advantage historically, owning a 3-2 lead in games played since 2011. Caulfield average over 112-points per contest, a whole 14-points to the good of the second placed Scotch who managed 98-points a game. Caulfield’s last Grand Final was in 2017 when they went down to Old Haileybury by 48 points in Premier C, while Scotch last featured on the big stage also in 2017, when they went down to Old Brighton by 36-points in their last stay in Premier B.

The more experienced, more dangerous and more loaded outfit should get the job done, so look for Caulfield to raise another flag in the pavilion at Glenhuntly Reserve.

You can watch the VAFA live stream of this match HERE