Elimination Final
Caboolture vs. Coomera
It is finals time for the State Association division two and Caboolture will face Coomera on Saturday at Alexander Barr Oval in the first elimination final. In the biggest game of the year for Coomera last week they rose to the challenge and beat Beenleigh by 12 points in a remarkable performance. Although the Buffaloes had been the competition’s giant killers in the second half of the year, they were unable to match the relentless pressure and forward line dominance of Coomera. Gary Smith was deadly up forward and finished with six goals, and Aaron Talbot booted five to take his season tally to 37. Needing wins in the last fortnight of football, the Magpies leapfrogged Redcliffe with two rounds to go and held their place in the five to book a place in the finals this week. It is their will to win that will have Caboolture most concerned, although the Lions are coming off a pretty comfortable win themselves. Last week they toppled the Ipswich Eagles by 86 points which included a prominent second half where they booted 14 goals. Over half the team were able to influence the scoresheet, with James Wilkinson topping that list with five majors. Bryce Smith saved his best for last in an excellent best on ground effort, and Chris Allen capped off a fine season with two goals in a very influential game. Caboolture certainly has the wood on their counterpart from their previous games this year, but as everyone knows, finals football is a different ball game. Coomera showed plenty of heart last week when many wouldn’t have given them a chance, and the result may very well be the same on Saturday.
Head to Head this year:
Round Three
15.9-99 Caboolture def. Coomera 4.11-35
Round Twelve
4.4-28 Coomera def. by Caboolture 20.9-129
Qualifying Final
Nambour and Hinterland vs. Beenleigh
Nambour and Beenleigh will be vying for a spot in the preliminary final and a much needed week off on Saturday at Palmwoods. The Buffaloes, known for their big wins so far this year, were on the receiving end of an upset loss at the hands of Coomera last week. The two goal defeat didn’t influence their standing on the ladder, but it won’t do their confidence a great deal of good going into such an important fixture this week. Inaccurate kicking was the dealbreaker on the day, with the 15 unconverted shots on goal proving to be very costly in what ended up being a close affair. Chris Greaves was the best for Beenleigh, while the ever reliable Matt Kimpton chipped in with two goals and fought hard all day. Andrew Graham was also impressive with five goals although he may have ended the day with a few more had it not been for the wayward kicking. Nambour were clinical straight out of the gate against Calamvale last week, with a 10 goal opening stanza that showed signs of what was to come. Adam Stanton had a day out with a bag of 10 goals, while fellow forward Jason Weckert kicked six to take his season tally to 16 goals from just four games. Tim Lowes and the Nambour backline provided plenty of service all day by generating run and keeping the competition goal scoring winner Alan Flower to just one goal. These two sides are both capable of kicking big scores so the winning team will need to turn in an exceptional defensive performance on the day. Beenleigh were able to even the ledger in their second battle in round 12, but last week has raised some eyebrows about the Buffaloes chances of progressing very deep into the finals. It is sure to be a big game as there is plenty on the line for both teams.
Head to Head this year:
Round Three
13.11-89 Nambour & Hinterland def. Beenleigh 11.9-75
Round Twelve
17.13-115 Beenleigh def. Nambour & Hinterland 9.13-67
