NULLAWIL will head into the Golden Rivers Football Netball League Grand Final as red-hot favourites as they look to secure three premierships in a row.
The Maroons have been dominant this season, only dropping one game to Quambatook by two points in round eight.
The numbers tell the story – Nullawil scored 800 more points throughout the season than the second best and conceded 400 less than anyone else. It would be one of the greatest upsets of all time if they were to walk off their home ground in sorrow tomorrow afternoon.
But that is precisely what Moulamein will attempt to do.
The Swans are in brilliant form, riding into the Grand Final on a four-game winning streak after finishing fourth.
It has been a fairytale run for the men from New South Wales, who are playing in their first finals series since 2008 and hoping to lift their first senior cup since 1988.
In the two contests between the sides this season, the Maroons have dismantled the Swans to the tune of 93 points in round seven and 76 points in round 14.
“Both of those games were good contests – they (Nullawil) just capitalised on the big moments a lot better than us – we just have to make sure when we have the footy, and it’s inside our forward fifty that we put the score on the board,” Swans head coach Heath Moloney said.
Maroons head coach Brett Barker said his side will definitely be taking lessons from their previous meetings with the Swans this season.
“I suppose we’ll take a little bit out of those games, but they’re on a roll, and they’ve knocked off two teams above them in the finals so far,” Barker said.
“Anything can happen in finals, but I suppose we’ll take a little bit of confidence out of those two wins against them earlier in the season – but again, it’s a Grand Final, so anything can happen.”
Both sides have firepower on all lines of the ground, which was highlighted at the GRFNL awards night on Monday.
Maroons’ Jordan Humphreys came second in the competition’s best and fairest, whilst teammates Matt Quigley and Mitch Farmer came fourth and sixth.
Moloney himself was the Swans’ best, finishing fifth.
Speaking of star power, the battle of the big forwards is set to be crucial, with both sides possessing weapons that can tear a game apart inside forward 50.
The Maroons have the top three goal kickers in the competition, with former Richmond player Farmer topping the leader board with 83 goals.
Andrew Oberdorfer is second with 55 and Andrew Casey third with 47.
“Putty’s (Oberdorfer) a big man, and they’ll have to watch him and man him up all over the ground, whereas Mitch (Farmer) isn’t as big, but he works super hard,” Barker said.
Swans defenders Cody Storm and Moloney will undoubtedly be having sleepless nights about this three-headed monster, especially after earlier season performances.
Farmer kicked nine in an incredible performance against the Swans in Round 14, whilst Oberdorfer was similarly destructive in Round seven when he nailed seven goals.
The Swans’ tall forwards in the one-two punch of Beau Duggan-Hulands and Josh Flight can be just as deadly, and Barker is definitely putting a lot of work into the pair.
“Their key position and tall players will certainly be a focus area of ours, but we’ll certainly back our boys in to get the job done,” he said.
Duggan-Hulands has kicked 44 goals for the season, with partner Flight nailing 42 of his own to leave them fifth and sixth on the goal kicking charts.
Flight was instrumental in the Swans’ victory last week as he willed his side over the line in the last quarter against Quambatook, providing a safe pair of hands for the besieged defence when exiting their back 50.
If the Swans are to get close this weekend, Flight will need to push up the ground again and provide a connecting link.
Both of these sides love to utilise their outside run.
The Swans used it to perfection in their Elimination Final win against Wandella, where the likes of Mason Bailey tore the Bombers apart in an eight-goal third quarter that was some of the most blistering football played all year.
But the Maroons are on another level, though.
Patrick Kelly and Humphreys were the two best players on the ground in the Qualifying Final against Quambatook two weeks ago.
Their run off half-back was eye-catching, and they will go into the Grand Final as two of the favourites to be the best afield once again.
However, it is in the midfield where Nullawil is at their most deadly.
Their depth is something to behold, with at least seven players capable of going through the middle and tearing the game apart.
“I’d like to think we’re pretty strong across the ground, but our midfield is the key for us,” Barker said.
“We have a couple of powerful, big-bodied midfielders that can hopefully get on top in the middle, and that’s our key.”
Led by Quigley, Johnathon Casey and Daniel Watts, the Maroons’ midfield has the potential to tear the game away from the Swans very quickly.
But the Swans have weapons of their own.
Club best and fairest Daniel Aarsman is a gun, and with Rodney Reeves, Luke Shannon and Bailey all good enough to take over the game, they are more than capable of taking it right up to the Maroons brigade, according to Moloney.
“We’ll be looking to bring relentless pressure and will be trying to get first use of the footy,” he said.
“In the second half of the season, we’ve been getting a lot better at winning the clearances and then if we don’t win them, we’ll just need to put as much pressure on as we can and force a turnover.”
The Swans’ ace in the hole could be ruckman Anthony Daw.
Daw came to the club in the middle of the season and has added another dimension to the Swans with his athleticism.
“We’re pretty confident with our ruck development – Anthony Daw has been an amazing pick-up for us,” Moloney said.
“We’ve also got James Moroney, who’s stepped up from the reserves and has put a couple of excellent games together, along with Josh Flight, who can go in there as well as myself – it’s one of our big strengths, and hopefully it’s an area of the ground we might be able to expose them in.”
The Swans will go into the game unchanged, whilst Nullawil will bring in Dean Putt.
There is no doubt it is certainly the Maroons to lose, but the Swans have plenty of X-factor, and with some luck, we could see a remarkable upset.
Nullawil by 26 points
