Photo: Brooke Sleep Media
By Chris ‘Yeendy’ Yeend
It’s Semi Final team in the Colts competition with the winner of the Palm Beach Currumbin and Maroochydore contest going into the Grand Final while Broadbeach and Wilston Grange will fight to keep their season alive.
SECOND SEMI FINAL
PALM BEACH CURRUMBIN v MAROOCHYDORE
Meetings this year
Round 19
PBC 7.10.52 defeated Maroochydore 2.6.18
In the only meeting between the pair this season. PBC kicked six goals to nil after quarter-time to seal a fantastic 34-point win over the Roos led by one-point at quarter-time. Jack Stringer kicked four goals in a best on ground performance for the winners while Jayden Banks was the pick of the group for Maroochydore.
Record against top six teams
Palm Beach Currumbin – 7/1 (only loss coming to Aspley)
Maroochydore – 5/3
Leading Goal Kicker
Palm Beach Currumbin – Luke Cahill – 33
Maroochydore – Koby Young – 32
Season so far
PBC – This has been a near-flawless season for the reigning premiers. Fresh off defeating Broadbeach by 51-points in the 2022 decider, this group has only dropped one game (to Aspley), averaging 85-points per game and conceding an average of 29 points per game to be ranked number one overall in both areas. You simply can’t ask for much more.
Maroochydore – This team has improved the longer this season has gone on. To perform at the standard it has, is a testament to the core group of players who perhaps sit in that middle bracket of talent who have been exceptional each week. We’ve seen a lot of movement from some of the big names in the team between Colts and Seniors and in Brad McDonald’s case – VFL, and to still perform at a high standard each week and get that double chance is something to marvel at.
IN/OUT
PBC Ins – Luca Laverde (captain), Mathew Walkerden, Nelson Beikoff-Smart, Jack Foggo
PBC Outs – Liam Wildman, Sam Fog, Matt Lee
The Lions welcome back captain Luca Laverde who will have a major impact on this contest.
Maroochydore Ins – Hunter Moore, Bradley McDonald, Ty Gallop, William Jones, Bailey Hahn
Maroochydore Outs – Racer Bellchambers, Maximus Prendergast, Kade Robins, Luke O’Halloran, Deklen Faulkner
The Roos bring back some star talent from the team that defeated Noosa in the final round of the home and away season with Moore, McDonald, Gallop, Jones and Hahn all household names. McDonald has had experience with the Brisbane Lions at VFL level and is one of the biggest ins for the weekend across both Colts’ games.
Why each team can win and why
PBC – The reigning premiers contain the most complete line-up of any team in the competition, from the back half to the midfield and the forward line. PBC has a habit of producing top-end talent that feeds into the Senior team and higher levels of football. It’s not hard to see why when we continue to see teams like this perform so good for so long.
Maroochydore – With some key inclusions to make its line-up stronger in the midfield and up forward, there may be a few key positional areas that will cause the PBC midfield some concerns.
Who will win
Of all the six games that take place on Saturday across the Colts, Reserves and Seniors – PBC is just about the best guarantee to win out of all games and that speaks volume of the depth in this team that continue to produce stunning results.
FIRST SEMI FINAL
BROADBEACH v WILSTON GRANGE
Meetings this year
Round 9
Wilston Grange 8.8.56 defeated Broadbeach 4.7.31
After a slow start from both teams that had the Cats lead 8-1 at quarter-time, the Gorillas kicked six goals to one in the middle quarters to open up a match-winning four goal lead heading into the final change before winning by 25-points.
Duncan McCabe and Jack Thompson kicked two goals each for the winners while Beau Addinsall and Matt Evans impressed for the Cats.
Record against top six teams
Broadbeach – 6/4
Wilston Grange – 5/4
Leading Goal Kicker
Broadbeach – Jack Jovanovic – 39
Wilston Grange – Jack Fewster – 28
Season so far
Broadbeach – After dropping just four games across the season in a power-house performance from all three Senior teams at Subaru Oval, its form was outstanding last week with a 68-point win over Aspley in the Elimination Final to head into this game on a seven-game winning streak.
Wilston Grange – It dropped just one game inside the first 10 rounds and included the scalps of Broadbeach and Maroochydore in that stretch. A 10-point loss to Aspley in Round 11 followed a one-point loss to Mt Gravatt for a mid-season hurdle. After a big win over Noosa, it shortly followed several losses to the Lions and Roos. It comes in having won the past four games of the season including kicking the second-highest score of the year across all teams (25.17.167) against Labrador,a game where James Milner kicked eight.
IN/OUT
Broadbeach Ins – Kyle Greenwood
Broadbeach Outs – Cooper Hynes
Wilston Grange Ins – James Milner
Wilston Grange Outs – Jack Swift
James Milner comes in for Jack Swift after playing for the Wilston Grange in the Under 17s Division 1 last weekend. Milner played three games for the Brisbane Lions Academy Under 16s team this year.
Why each team can win and why
Broadbeach – It has had a solid season across the board and has the presence of great leadership from around the club that has enjoyed a lot of success across various levels and the last month has been solid.
Wilston Grange – James Milner makes so much difference; he is the Steph Curry of this team and will lift his teammates.
Who will win
Broadbeach at home will be a touch too strong and its form in the last month has been met with some quality challengers that it has overcome. Take nothing away from Wilston Grange who responded with some incredible wins and to hold a team to one goal in a final; is impressive. The home ground advantage is crucial here.
