White-hot Canterbury advance to Division 3 Grand Final

Canterbury will play St John’s in the Division 3 Senior Men’s Grand Final after a doggedly-fought upset win over minor premiers North Brunswick.

In sopping wet conditions, where a downpour of rain fell constantly on early Saturday morning, the Cobras were unable to hit the scoreboard initially. North Brunswick’s Matt David opened the game with two goals in the first term, whilst Canterbury was held to just two points.

Canterbury turned up the heat in the second term however, shooting out to 2.6 (18), whilst the Cobras defence restricted the Bulls’ attack. The Bulls failed to score in the second quarter, remaining on 12 points as the on-ball pressure ramped up.

Mitch Szabo and Brad Kelleher continued Canterbury’s scoring streak halfway through the third term, increasing the lead to 19 points. However, the Bulls stayed resilient. Two goals in three minutes at the end of the third term brought the game back to a seven-point margin, as the two teams huddled up one final time before a monumental last quarter.

As expected in a win-or-go-home final, the opening minutes of the final term was a scrap, as desperation from both sides caused scrummages across Martin Reserve. The Bulls were able to pluck away at the scoreboard, albeit registering only three behinds.

With the game hanging in the balance, skipper James Boarotto stepped up to the plate to deliver a team-lifting goal that extended the Cobras lead to ten points. Kelleher kicked truly again six minutes later, and the wall of North Brunswick defence began to crack. The Cobras kicked two more goals in the span of a minute to put the final nail in the coffin, ending North Brunswick’s chance of achieving back-to-back premierships.

The final scores were 8.8 (56) to 4.6 (30), as Canterbury gritted out a classic preliminary final.

Canterbury coach Josh Ward was proud of his side to grind out a win in dreary weather.

“It was tough conditions and a tough opponent, North Brunswick are very well organised defensively and started well against us,” Ward said. “Proud of our guys for sticking to the contest and working them over as the game went on to get the win.”

Lachy Shearer and Mitch Szabo continued their hot form in the Finals Series for Canterbury, earning best on ground votes.

The Cobras, who placed fourth after the home and away season, have had to do it the hard way to earn a Grand Final spot and promotion to Division 2. Playing Richmond Central in an Elimination Final to begin their finals campaign, the Cobras were not afforded the double chance North Brunswick and Power House earned.

However, in back-to-back games starting as underdogs, the Cobras have seemed to peak at the right time, with wins against the Bulls and Power House their first triumphs over those respective clubs this season.

North Brunswick were dealt a tough card heading into the preliminary final, with four notable players suspended from melees in their Semi Final against St John’s.

Coach Adam Sipala was proud of the players who participated this weekend but noted the challenge of a depleted side in the Preliminary Final.

“I cannot be prouder of the performance of the guys as we were still able to find ourselves in a position to win the game yesterday even after an interrupted preparation during the week, seven changes to the team and losing two rotations down just after halftime. The guys just didn’t give up,” Sipala said.

“We had opportunities to win the game, and we just didn’t take them. Full credit to Canterbury who were able to win more of the big moments and adjust to the conditions throughout the match. Their experience shone through. I wish them all the best against St John’s next week.”

Joel Grimmond and Cameron Lee were best-on for North Brunswick in their final appearance this season. The Bulls maintained back-to-back minor premierships in 2024, despite losing consecutive games that ended an undefeated streak extending back to 2022.

Upon reflection of the 2024 season, Sipala remained upbeat about their efforts this year, and knows the heartbreak of missing the Grand Final will spur on the group in 2025.

“I commend our guys on their efforts. They have worked hard, and I am super proud of their efforts. We take great learnings from the year, and we will be further galvanised by heartache to bounce back and go one better next season,” he said.

After 18 weeks of home-and-away football, and three weeks of finals action, the Division 3 decider is now set.

St John’s will go in slight favourites against the Canterbury Cobras, having comprehensively beat Power House and overrun North Brunswick last week. After an exhaustive wet weather match for Canterbury, St John’s bye this week may give them the energy edge in the Grand Final.

However, that is all the JOC’s have as an advantage over Canterbury, with history suggesting we are in for a thriller premiership decider.

In their previous encounters this season, the ledger is squared at one win apiece. Canterbury took the four points in Round 7, eclipsing the JOC’s by a mere six points in a back-and-forth affair.

Meanwhile in Round 16, St John’s overcame a three-quarter-time deficit to pinch a five-point win, in a high-scoring clash that saw both sides hit the triple-figure mark.

In fact, neither side has led each other by more than 20 points in both home and away season matches.

A consistently-strong St John’s side against a white-hot Canterbury outfit that have relented for nobody. It’s anyone’s guess who achieves the pinnacle of success of football this weekend.