Results:
Broadbeach 17.15 (117) def. Morningside 14.5 (89)
Labrador 17.13 (115) def. Mt Gravatt 9.12 (66)
Sandgate 25.12 (162) def. Palm Beach Currumbin 9.9 (63)
Surfers Paradise 7.20 (62) def. Wilston Grange 6.9 (45)
Untimely upset
There it is, all eighteen rounds done and dusted with and what a way to finish off, particularly for Sandgate. In Graham ‘Bomber’ Adams’ last game as senior coach of the club, the Hawks put on a show with Brendan Forbes at centre stage, the big fella booting eleven goals. That’s right, eleven – and that’s after the eight he kicked the week before.
It’s not great timing for the Lions heading into their 2017 finals campaign, even though they fielded a few youngsters, on paper tipsters never would have predicted the weighty Sandgate winning margin. The Lions were still in touch at quarter time, but it was a stellar six goal to one second term from the Hawks that established the lead. Then in the last quarter it was party time, as the Hawks piled on eleven goals.
Sam Gribble was impressive for the Hawks, hitting up at the footy and busting his way through packs. Down in defense youngster Mitchell Crawley looked strong, collecting plenty of the footy and creating opportunities off the half back line, as well as picking the right moment to press up.
Ned Kelly
Papua New Guinean young talent Kelly Kaugla showed plenty of x-factor for the Cats in their big matchup with the Panthers at Broadbeach. It seems Cats coach Brett Andrews has found a new weapon for the forward line, as Kaugla went about kicking five goals and rotating through the midfield. If he keeps kicking so many goals, Kelly might find himself spending more time around the big sticks.
Broady found themselves 61 points up at three quarter time and resisted a late charge from the Panthers, who outscored the Cats in the last, seven goals to one. Xavier McMahon was imposing across the half forward line as the Cats ran away with a 28-point win, using his big frame to burst through and find his running teammates with clean handballs.
Working with limited supply up until the last quarter Kent Abey and Ben Murray were again important up forward for the Panthers, presenting and hitting the scoreboard, kicking three each.
Full steam ahead
It was a case of ‘business as usual’ for the Tigers against the Vultures, as they opened up in the first term putting six goals on the board without a reply. The fact that their captain and the league’s leading goal kicker was missing seemed to go unnoticed, as Barry Hall ran full steam out of the goal square scattering Mt Gravatt defenders like bowling pins on his way to kicking five goals in the first half.
Along with star fullback Jayden Young, Hall was soon done for the day; resting and awaiting a big upcoming tilt at a QAFL premiership. Fellow tall Jake Goldsmith was also missing, adding further cause for concern with regards to the Tigers tall brigade, but it didn’t seem to matter as Wayde Mills continued to do his thing, intercepting every ball in sight.
Billy Hicks continued his fine form in recent weeks, providing plenty of outside run and hitting the scoreboard, as did Nick Jackson, who continually read the flight of the ball and kicked truly from his set shots, ending the game with five.
Connor Budarick is a young player with talent to burn and showed again why he’s one of the most highly rated young talents going around. The Under 16 State Academy Captain got his hands on the footy and seemed to get better as the game went on, linking up well and looking completely at home at the level.
Vulture ball winners Zac Stone and Frazer Neate dug in for the fight but were outgunned in the midfield, without their captain Joe Murphy. Injuries appeared to have taken their toll on the Mt Gravatt lineup, as the absence of a tall marking forward was felt keenly with Stubbs not playing. Andrew Smith had some success marking the footy down the line, but couldn’t heavily influence the scoreboard, finishing with one major and it was a similar story for Jayden Crawley.
Against the tide . . . and the Surfers
Matthew Trewhella battled away for the Gorillas in his final game and came away with three goals for his troubles, taking his total to 43 for the year and placing him third on the overall table in his last season. Not a bad effort and a case could be made for him playing on – but he wanted to go out on top and he certainly did.
A win for ‘Trow’ would have been the icing on the cake, but the Demons had other plans and despite being inaccurate in the breeze and coming from a long way back, they ran rampant in the last quarter to take home their fourth win of the season.
Prestegar finished his season strongly, impacting around the contest and using his composure on the outside to keep the ball moving forward. Sean Atkinson has had a consistent sort of season and Saturday was no exception, the tall utility impacting all over the ground.
By Sean Melrose
Follow @seanmelrose
