Image by Anthony Byron.
By Abby Collins
In a hard-fought preliminary final, Redland Victoria Point pulled off a stunning come-from-behind victory over the back-to-back premiership winners, Aspley.
The game saw the sides taking turns controlling the quarters, with Aspley dominating the first and third quarters while Redland Victoria Point controlled the second and fourth.
The final siren rang out across Aspley’s home ground with the visitors winning with a score of 9.17 (71) to 11.9 (75).
Aspley rocked out of the blocks fast and hard, taking home the first four majors, and consistently held possession.
Connor Stackelberg was on fire, scoring three of the four, while captain Brandon Batchelor kicked the other from the goal square.
Redland Victoria Point struggled to turn the tide as Aspley’s goal-happy start put them firmly in control.
The pressure was on from both sides as the first quarter came to a close, with William O’Dwyer limiting Campbell Aston’s touches on the footy, impacting the Sharks midfield work exceptionally.
Redland Victoria Point showed their fighting spirit in the second quarter, moving the ball faster from end to end than they had been previously.
Matt Hammelmann and Tyler Hausfeld proved to be a powerful duo, with Hammelmann setting Hausfeld up to kick two goals early in the second term of play.
The Sharks brought the deficit back to an even 34 points just before half time, thanks to four unanswered goals.
In a battle for the ages, each team worked hard for their turnovers, making this a game primarily played across the midfield in the hands of Coen Harker and Lleyton Brown for Aspley and Luke O’Sullivan and Daniel Annable for the Sharks.
With high pressure and a lot of contests, each team kicked their fair share of behinds, battling not only their opponents but also the windy conditions.
These missed opportunities would later come back to bite the Hornets.
Aspley turned the tide in the premiership quarter, taking control away from the Sharks early.
Annable’s expert use of the ball in the midfield allowed the Sharks to carve up their opponents through the middle, but the defensive efforts of Errin Wasley-Black and Liam Dawson often stopped the young guns’ momentum.
Cody Stackelberg’s pressure on the Sharks’ defensive unit, along with goals from Thomas Watson and Harker, pushed Aspley’s lead out to 20 points at the final break.
Prepared to chase down the 22-point margin, pushed out further by a couple of Hornet behinds, Redland Victoria Point staged a remarkable comeback in the fourth and final term.
Matt Hammelmann, despite being limited by a hamstring niggle sustained in the previous quarter, found the ball in the goal square and kicked three goals in quick succession to put the Sharks in front for the first time in the game.
Bailey Reeves and Clay Cameron also contributed crucial majors as Redland Victoria Point chased down the Hornets.
Aspley only managed to secure two goals in the final term despite their many shots on goal, with only one of Watson’s kicks going through for a major score, alongside Batchelor’s.
The defensive efforts from both sides were working overtime, with Adrian Williams and Mitch Stallard being the change makers in the last few minutes.
Stallard’s hands on the ball as it was heading through the posts gave the Sharks the opportunity to come back from the three-point margin they were chasing.
The final goal, a kick from 65 out thanks to Dylan Smith secured the win for the Sharks.
Hammelmann did his part to gain victory, negating the Hornets’ key defender, Wasley-Black, in the goal square so that Smith’s exception kick could find the posts just seconds before the final siren rang out.
In a thrilling finish, Redland Victoria Point held on to defeat Aspley and book their spot in the grand final next week.
The Sharks’ ability to hunt down the reigning premiers showcased their resilience and determination.
Having proven themselves against this year’s table leaders, next weekend’s final battle will be one no one wants to miss.
Aspley 4.6 4.12 7.15 9.17 (71)
Redland Victoria Point 1.2 5.4 5.4 11.9 (75)
Goals
Aspley Connor Stackelberg 4, Batchelor 2, Watson 2, Harker
Redland Victoria Point Hammelmann 5, Hausfeld 2, Brown, Cameron, Reeves, Smith
Best Players
Aspley Joel Leahy, Mitchell Crawley, Connor Stackelberg, Lleyton Brown, Jordan Hayden, Brandon Batchelor
Redland Victoria Point Jarrod Huddy, Tyler Hausfeld, Matthew Thomson, Adrian Williams, Jack Rolls, Matt Hammelmann
