IT was a case of deja vu on Sunday as Nyah-Nyah West United booked their ticket into this weekend’s first semi-final.
The Demons ended Lake Boga’s season with a 44-point victory reminiscent of the round 12 encounter between the two sides.
Booting seven unanswered goals in the opening quarter effectively blew the Magpies away before quarter time.
To their credit, Lake Boga fought back, but continued to shoot themselves in the foot with poor accuracy in the windy conditions, falling 15.13 (103) to 7.17 (59).
After reducing the margin to 24 points at half-time, the Magpies may well rue their third-quarter return of 1.5 kicking into the wind, while conceding 4.2.
Lake Boga had enough of the ball to mount a challenge, with the speed of ball movement and pressure around the contest matching the Demons, but their inability to score proved fatal.
Their first-term performance was disastrous, however, obliterated by a NNW United attacking onslaught that was both impressive and ominous.
Opening up their opponents with their renowned run-and-carry game, the Demons also elevated their pressure game to a new level that suffocated ball movement.
It was simply a case of one team wanting the ball more, with the Magpies at times appearing frozen like a deer in headlights.
Hassan Ahmat-Watkins and Charlie Boulton looked dangerous up forward early, the former posing a constant threat across the four quarters.
The real stars could be found at the other end of the ground, however, where Joel Walsh continued his fine season in another best afield performance, superbly intercepting any errant entries to the defensive 50.
He was ably assisted by a solid back line containing Joel Campbell, Dean Harrop, Zach Threadgold and Campbell Everitt.
While they may not have had much work to do in the first quarter, they were forced to work overtime from there on, with Lake Boga constantly pressing as they searched for a way back into the game.
For the Magpies, Jake Warren, Lincoln Sieben, Daniel Dzufer and Nathaniel Holmes-Brown worked hard to win the ball, while Dustin Burns came into the game when the side kicked three unanswered goals for the second quarter.
But while NNW United allowed their forwards to run onto the ball by kicking to space with the wind, Lake Boga instead bombed the ball into their forward 50 long and deep, which played into the hands of Walsh and co.
With Jacob Simpson a being a late out, it forced the Magpies to move David Gourdis into the ruck after quarter time, with the key position swingman helping to even up the clearances.
While Lake Boga won their share of the contested ball, so too did NNW United inside midfielder Ethan Saville, who was both explosive from the contest and hard at the ball.
Angus Monfries was perhaps Lake Boga’s best player for the afternoon, with the co-coach racking up countless possessions across half-back.
His efforts were certainly countered by the Demons’ Jarrod Stokes, Kayne Davidson and Riley Daniels, who along with Saville, were constantly sending the Demons into attack.
The only sour note on an otherwise perfect day for NNW United was an apparent shoulder injury to young gun Ethan Curran, who came from the field and failed to return.
FINAL SIREN
| Lake Boga | 0.2 | 3.7 | 4.12 | 7.17 | 59 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NNW United | 7.5 | 7.7 | 11.9 | 15.13 | 103 |
