By Beth Newman
Coomera 5.3, 8.9, 12.10, 15.13 (103)
Beenleigh 3.5, 4.7, 6.8, 9.10 (64)
Coomera sent a strong message to the rest of the Division 3 competition, with one round to go, notching a comfortable victory over Beenleigh.
With the Buffaloes sitting in second spot, the Magpies expected a contest, but they proved too good for their closest competition.
Brent Fraser was a standout for the Magpies, on the half-forward flank, while Josh Murray had a strong game for Coomera as well.
Ashley Templar finished with three majors for Beenleigh, while Andrew Soutar was one of the Buffaloes’ best.
The win keeps Coomera two games clear on top of the ladder, with the Buffaloes in second.
A shoulder injury to Luke Gornell was a sour note for the Magpies.
What the coaches said:
Stu Vimpany (Coomera):
“We went into the game with a fair few injuries and some missing and it was good to show our depth.”
To be honest, we’ll probably play them in finals and to have that edge going into finals is massive.”
“All the work at the start of the year means nothing if we can’t win games. It’s nice to have one of those winds basically against the next closest, but it all means jack if we don’t get the job done in finals time.”
“We’re basically have back to full strength next which we haven’t had all season.”
“Ipswich will have a crack and they’ll want to make an impact, so we won’t be taking any team lightly.”
Griffith Moorooka 13.6 (84)
Carrara 12.10 (82)
Griffith pulled off a thrilling win over Carrara on Saturday, but wll still miss out on finals.
The Roosters have had an inconsistent season, but managed to finish on a high in their last match, with a bye next weekend.
They will finish the season in fifth, but with a final four system in the Division 3 competition, they will be one spot short.
Brett Acton slotted seven goals for the Roosters in the win.
Henry Packham was Carrara’s best in the match.
Tim Pearson (Griffith Moorooka):
Very happy with the win, but
The last quarter went for 38 minutes. It was a good win, we end up 5th for the season, miss out on finals because they changed the finals but we had our best players – Brett Acton and Jason Eel, both their first senior game.
“I was pleased with aggression and our accuracy – we kicked pretty straight for the first time for the year.”
“We set some goals at the start of the season and one of those was that we finished fifth and that’s where we ended up.”
“We’ve had commitment to come back and confident we’ll be a top four side in 2014.”
Pine Rivers 2.2, 6.4, 10.8, 15.10 (100)
Ipswich 3.3, 3.8, 5.11, 5.13 (43)
Pine Rivers completed a perfect season at Rob Akers Oval, with a win over Ipswich on Saturday.
The Swans were behind early, but a clinical display in the second kept the Eagles goalless and allowed Pine Rivers some breathing space.
Matthew Gould rucked solo for most of the day for the Swans, and was the side’s standout in the win.
Al Poulton played his best game of the season for the Eagles, and youngster Matt Uebergang continued his strong 2013 form at centre-half forward.
What the coaches said:
Ben Long (Pine Rivers):
“It was a good way to finish our season at home.”
“We had a couple of good wins the weeks before and it was good to have a physical contest against Ipswich, to help prepare us for finals.”
“We want to finish on a high and make sure we do all the things well and take momentum in to the first game of finals.”
Mick Rush (Ipswich):
“We were competitive early, we were actually probably in general play wining the game but couldn’t make the most of our opportunities up forward.”
“The scoreboard was blown out in last quarter and we ran out of legs a bit nad they were able to blow it out a little bit.”
Aaron Fortescue – hyper-extended elbow but we’ll wait and see.
“We’ll go down to Carrara and have a crack and just play with some pride and be competitive, that’s our main goal.”
UQ 5.2, 7.5, 9.5, 13.9 (87)
Calamvale 1.2, 5.5, 7.8, 9.14 (68)
UQ picked up its fourth win of the season, over Calamvale, on Saturday.
The Red Lions welcomed a number of players back from long-term injuries and other absences, and it proved the difference in the match between the two bottom sides.
Dan Lutton and Blake McClennan were two of the best through the middle.
Calamvale was slaughtered by injuries in the match, losing a player to a serious knee injury and another going to hospital for stitches.
Ian Edwards was strong at centre half-back for the Leopards, while Justin Cooper played a solid tagging role on Matthew Wray.
Jarad Evans (UQ):
“It was good – they did well.”
“Our tackling and work around the ball was really good.”
“We’re happy with three wins. Our aim was five at the start of the season.”
“I want these guys to come back and try to get some continuity at the end of the season. If we get a win that’s fantastic and it’s showing we can match it.”
Brad Steven (Calamvale):
“I thought we actually played the better footy for the day, we just couldn’t quite convert our dominance into the scoreboard and when they had the opportunities they did.”
“We had crucial lapses where we went away from the game structure and it cost us dearly.”
“I was pretty shattered, as were the players themselves. They’ll learn from that, though.”
“We want to make sure we finish the season and don’t just go through the motions this week.”
“I just want the boys to not waste a season of improvement and I don’t want them to throw that away.”
“We want to finish on a high – win, lose or draw.”
