Bulls send the Snakes packing while Power House books GF ticket

Martin Reserve would set the scene for the first week of the Division 3 Men’s Finals series, with a spot in the Grand Final and two spots in the preliminary final to be decided.

With Power House, Wattle Park, North Brunswick and Richmond Central having been the best four sides by a far distance throughout the home and away season, it looked set to deliver some incredible matches.  

North Brunswick has kept their season alive for another week with a 38-point win against Richmond Central in the elimination semi-final.

Coming into the match, the Bulls had the upper hand over the Snakes, having won their previous two encounters this season through second-half comebacks, which put them as the favourites going into this match.

While they had the regular season record on their side, North Brunswick only won their Round 18 clash by two points, meaning the match was well and truly in the balance, with Richmond Central having become increasingly competitive against top four sides in the second half of the season.

The first quarter saw the Bulls burst out of the gates well as they held the Snakes to just two points while they managed to hit the scoreboard, resulting in a 24-point lead.

Despite the early deficit, hope was not lost in the Richmond Central changerooms as they showed in last week’s match against the same opposition that they can get on a run in the second quarter and take the lead back.

However, those well-wishes were left astray; they kicked 2.4 in the second quarter, with North Brunswick kicking a slightly more accurate 2.3. But it did see the margin reduce to 23 points at the main break.

But the Snakes’ chances were dashed when they were held scoreless in the third quarter, which saw the Bulls extend their lead to 37 points at three-quarter time.

That would be enough to see the Bulls progress into the preliminary final as they managed to close out the game as 38-point victors.

In the end, the Snakes’ slow start proved to be costly, as they were unable to get ahead of North Brunswick at any point of the match.

It now means for the second season in a row that Richmond Central has been knocked out in the elimination semi-final.

And while they were unbeaten against sides between 5th and 10th on the ladder, their 1-5 record against finals competing sides was once again their Achilles heel, which they attempt to resolve.

Having gone out in straight sets last year, the Bulls should be buoyed by having won a finals game this time around and will head into next week’s clash with some confidence of having done it before.

Later in the afternoon, Power House became the first team to secure its spot in the Grand Final with a 28-point win over Wattle Park in the qualifying semi-final.

Both teams have been the competition’s benchmark, having occupied spots one and two on the ladder for the majority of the season.

Each team had managed to beat the other on their respective home ground. But with home ground advantage removed from the equation in finals, it added some extra intrigue to an already exciting match.

The first quarter would belong to the ladder ladders in Power House.

Like North Brunswick did in the third quarter, they too would keep their opponents scoreless while they got out to a 21-point lead by the first break.  

But they could have easily buried the game in the first as they kicked 2.9, which kept the Animals alive in the match.

And in the second quarter, Wattle Park made sure to get themselves back in the game, managing to reduce the lead by a single point. But having won the quarter, that would have provided some confidence to the players that they could come back from Power House’s lead.

But despite that hope, Power House’s start was too much for the Animals to overcome.

Power House would run the game out in style in the second half as they closed out the match with a 28-point win.

It now means that Power House will have the bye and be waiting with anticipation to see who they their Grand Final opponent is.

While the Animals will now be forced to go the long way round if they want to return to Division 2, as they now go into the preliminary final.

With those results, it sets up a mouth-watering clash for the grand final qualifier between North Brunswick and Wattle Park.

These sides played each other pack in Rounds 2 and 17. Wattle Park got the chocolates on both occasions, having smashed them by 63 points in their first match-up.

But the Bulls made a much more competitive opponent in Round 17, having only lost by 10 points, which will give them confidence in a potential upset.

The match will be played at the home of the VAFA, Elsternwick Park, this coming Saturday at 12pm.