The University Cougars and Dalby Swans will go head-to-head in the Darling Downs under 12 Grand Final on Saturday.
Minor Premiers the University Cougars will face off against the Dalby Swans in the 2012 Under 12 Darling Downs Junior Grand-Final.
Dalby have the mental edge going into the game, having recorded wins in the last three meetings between the two teams.
However, the Cougars will lay everything on the line chasing revenge for their agonising 1-point loss to the Swans in the Qualifying final.
League leading goal kicker Tom Matthews, has made all the difference in the match-ups booting four in Round 14 and three in the Qualifying final.
While the Cougars managed to keep Matthews quiet in Round 9 they weren’t able to come away with the win.
Fast-forward to the Grand-Final and both sides will be looking to their key talls up forward to put on a show.
Key Match-Ups
While they won’t line up directly against each other, forwards Tom Matthews (Dalby) and Evan Cooper (University) will be relied heavily upon by their respective teams.
Matthews will play majority of his game through the midfield like much of the season but will push forward to rest at different stages throughout the game.
Cooper on the other hand is a traditional forward, takes a good overhead grab and kick goals from anywhere inside 50.
The Cougars will need to stop Matthews influence on the game and Killian Doyle might be the man for the job. Doyle can run all day and matches Matthews for size.
University’s Andrew Bani-Freeman and Dalby’s Jordan Richards will most likely go head-to-head at some point in the midfield.
Both are similar type footballers that work hard, get in and under the contest and can spark their respective sides with their natural leadership abilities.
What Dalby need to do to win
Tom Matthews has been the Swans number one player all year and is a major reason behind Dalby’s successful season. As we all know footy is a team game and Tom will need support, the likes of Richards, Melbin, Peltz, Farquharson and Raux will need to get their hands on the footy.
What University need to do to win
Firstly they will need to forget about the Qualifying Final loss and focus on the task at hand.
University have match winners all over the ground in Emmanuel Fallah, Killian Doyle, Andrew Bani-Freeman and Lincoln Bouttell.
And with Matthews out of the game, all the Cougars will need to do is play their exciting brand of footy.
The under 12s kick-off a huge day of finals footy on the Downs with centre bounce at 9.45am at Rockville Oval in Toowoomba.
University Cougars vs Dalby Swans Previous Results
Round 9 – University 4.6 (30) def. Dalby 2.5 (17) @ Baker Street Oval
Round 17 – Dalby 5.4 (34) def. University 5.1 (31) @ Owen Street Oval
Qualifying Final – Dalby 4.7 (31) def. University 4.6 (30) @ Rockville Oval
