YOUTH BOYS (2)
Park Orchards vs Macleod
Record – Park Orchards (0) Macleod (2)
Macleod by 4 points (Round 4)
Macleod by 96 points (Round 11)
Road to the GF – Park Orchards
63-point win against Beverley Hills in the Qualifying Final
32-point win against St. Mary’s in the 2nd Semi Final
Road to the GF – Macleod
31-point Elimination Final win against Surrey Park
12-point win against Beverley Hills in the 1st Semi Final
7-point win over St. Mary’s in the Preliminary Final
What the players say – Park Orchards
This Park Orchards group are chomping at the bits to get a taste of a Grand Final, having fallen just short in previous seasons finals series according to their skipper Archie Leonard, who plays in his first Grand Final. Archie said “Although we lost twice to them during the year, a Grand Final is a completely different ball game & the gap wasn’t that great anyway. We’re confident that if we can rise to the occasion and do the team things that we will walk away with the win on the day”. Archie was extremely complimentary of Macleod attacking midfielder Sam Vass, with the Sharks hoping to curtail his influence on the match. They will also need to be wary of Macleod’s skipper Cooper Windebank coming half back.
Best on Ground Tip – Zac Cullen (Park Orchards #10)
Match Prediction – Park Orchards in a tight game by 10 points or less.
What the players say – Macleod
Macleod go into this Grand Final with a 2-0 record against the Sharks this season, and although confident, Macleod skipper Cooper Windebank isn’t going to take Park Orchards lightly, admitting they had a few key players out in their convincing Round 11 win. When asked about his own team’s form, Cooper said “We’ve been playing really good footy in the backend of the year and our finals series so far has been great. We’re just going to back ourselves & continue doing what we’ve been doing for a few weeks now”. Cooper is very keen to see teammates Sam Vass & James Drummond in action for his side but is wary of Sharks on-baller Henry Milton who he believes is someone they will need to keep tabs on if they’re to win this game.
Best on Ground Tip – Sam Vass (Macleod #1)
Match Prediction – Macleod by 23 points
YOUTH GIRLS (2)
Park Orchards vs Heidelberg
Record – Park Orchards (2) & Heidelberg (1)
Park Orchards won by 10 points in the Semi Final
Park Orchards by 45 points in R12
Heidelberg by 57 points in R9
Road to the GF – Park Orchards
23-point win against Brunswick in the Qualifying Final
10-point over Heidelberg in the 2nd Semi Final
Road to the GF – Heidelberg
10-point loss to Park Orchards in the 2nd Semi Final
39-point win against Glen Iris/Ashburton in the Preliminary Final
What the players say – Park Orchards
This Park Orchards side is hoping this Grand Final is 3rd time lucky, as this side has unfortunately lost 2 Grand Finals prior to this season. The playing group, however, couldn’t be more excited to get out there and give it there all in attempt to win this years Grand Final. After chatting with skipper Ruby Chandler, Erin Loucas & Allie King, we learnt just how ready this Sharks outfit is. Ruby said “Our fitness is probably our strength so we’re confident we can use that to our advantage. Allie King then stated their previous finals experience should help them, “We’ve obviously played in big finals before so we know the pressure that can come with that. Hopefully we can out work them and be better for longer at the end of the game”. Erin thinks her side can build upon any momentum during the game, “We want to celebrate the big moments & celebrate our goals because I think when we get our tails up, we can be hard to stop when everyone is up & about”. When asked about the opposition’s key players, the girls said they have a lot of talent across all lines, with some key players potentially coming back into the lineup for Heidelberg.
Best on Ground Tip – Emily Rankin (Park Orchards #12)
Match Prediction – Park Orchards by 1 point
What the players say – Heidelberg
In the lead up the big game, we caught up with Heidelberg stars Caitlin Basham, Ava Vincent (C) & Leah Sullivan to discuss how this Heidelberg team thinks they can get the job done. When asked about the opposition players they need to stop, all 3 players said the midfield battle will be crucial. Ava said, “Last time we played them they had so many good mids, so we will need to be on our toes inside & structure our centre bounces accordingly to rectify that”. We asked the girls who the key players from their own side, with all 3 offering up someone different. Leah is sensing some goals from both Lucy & Gabby Cutri, whilst Ava thinks Alice Jesser & Caitlin think her captain Ava Vincent will be impactful for the Tigers. Overall though, the Tigers believe that as long as they play together as a team, the rest will take care of itself.
Best on Ground Tip – Ava Vincent (Heidelberg #18) nominated by both teammates Caitlin Basham & Leah Sullivan.
Match Prediction –
Ava Vincent – 4 points
Caitlin Basham – 27 points
Leah Sullivan – 12 points
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