BALRANALD v KERANG
PREVIEW
THE big crowd will be in for a treat if tomorrow’s grand final is anything like Balranald and Kerang’s three previous encounters this year.
While their semi-final match-up two weeks ago blew out on the scoreboard after three-quarter time, it was a cracking game until that point, full of tough, positive football.
The games during the home and away rounds went right to the wire, with Kerang winning on both occasions by eight points.
There’s no reason to think tomorrow will not be another close affair.
One major difference to the semi-final, however, will be the make-up of Kerang’s forward line, with Bradlee Pay and Adam Hunter returning in last Saturday’s 81-point win over NNW United and having an immediate impact.
Pay’s six goal haul quickly reaffirmed his importance to the Blues, and Blues coach Troy Coates expected a better return on the scoreboard than two weeks ago.
“I thought our forward line was poor last time (against Balranald), but getting Adam Hunter and Brad Pay back will make a big difference to our forward line,” Coates told The Guardian this week.
“We’ll try and rotate our forward line a bit more too, we didn’t do that well enough either and our pressure wasn’t there.
“As a team, our pressure from the Balranald game to last week (against NNW United) was completely different.
“I don’t think that loss had a lot to do with our game plan, it was all about mindset, they were hungry and desperate and we couldn’t match them, so we’ll need to come to play this time.”
Balranald will go in fresh after enjoying the week off, with the only possible change to their line-up being the inclusion of Nathan Ablett, pending an overnight fitness test.
Having been in action for the past eight weeks, last Saturday’s rest came at the perfect time, according to Roos coach Jydon Neagle.
“We had a good win last week, but that will mean nothing going into tomorrow,” Neagle said.
“It’s been a long two weeks, but the rest has been good, we had a good session last Saturday and the boys are feeling good.
“Now it’s about keeping them level-headed and calm until Saturday and then hopefully we come out hard and play some good footy.
“It’s a big ground and they (Kerang) like to spread, as do we, so we just have to be as switched on as we can be.
“We don’t care whether we’re underdogs or favourites, we’re just going to play our way and try expose their weaknesses as best we can, like they will do to us.”
While Pay will no doubt have a target on his back up forward for the Blues, so too will Coates, who has been known to save his best footy for grand final day.
At the other end of the ground, Kerang will also be keeping a close eye on three of Balranald’s key players, especially after their semi-final defeat.
“Eleven of their 17 goals came directly from the boot of Drew Lloyd, Jydon Neagle and Ben Fuller last time, so we’ll need to get our match ups right on them,” Coates said.
“We took ‘Truck’ (Troy Davis) off Fuller to play him through the ruck in the semi, but we won’t do that this time, we’ll leave him on Fuller.
“We just need to make sure we have a plan B in place, Jydon (Neagle) killed us last time, he’s probably the most damaging and influencing player in their team and we’ll need to watch him closely.”
While Neagle looms as a key player, along with his brother Jaxon in defence and Ethan Gant and Kobe Lloyd in the midfield, it might just be the Roos’ desperation that sets the two clubs apart tomorrow.
“Our boys are hungry, they’ve been through some pretty tough years over the last decade-and-a-half,” Neagle said.
“Even when the club nearly folded, they stuck fat with us and now it’s their time to reap the rewards.
“We’re a team of brothers and our guys are going to do everything in our power to win it, it’s going to be a war, and so it should be in the last game of the year.”
Tip – Balranald to win by five points.
THE BURNING QUESTION
Can Kerang turn the tables on their semi-final loss to Balranald?
Absolutely they can, especially if their form from last Saturday is any indication.
While Balranald may be fresh and fully fit, Kerang had several players who would have benefited from the extra run last week after injury hit preparations and seasons.
Kerang have been red-hot premiership favourites all season – and that’s because their best is very, very good.
KEY MATCH-UP’S
Jordan Wilkins v Nick Lang
With both teams heavily reliant on winning the ball out of the middle and getting first hands on it around the stoppages, the ruck battle between Wilkins and Lang will be pivotal.
Both come into the game after injury-interrupted finals preparations, but will have a big say in the outcome.
Ben Fuller v Troy Davis
If Davis can nullify Fuller’s influence on the game, the Blues will have one hand on the premiership cup.
Fuller has kicked 34 goals from his past eight matches, including seven in his past two games against Kerang and comes into the match in strong form. But he’ll need to be at his best to beat the Blues full-back.
Ethan Gant v Rylee Smith
While these two may not necessarily line-up directly on each other, they both play in a very similar fashion.
They are both genuine match winners with their ability to break the lines, as highlighted by their lofty finishes in this year’s Jack Betts Medal count.
