Gaza, North Haven win through to 2021 Adelaide Footy League division three grand final
Gaza will take on North Haven for the division two title after the Eagles caused a big upset. Read reports from all the Adelaide Footy League preliminary finals here.
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A super Saturday featuring 22 Adelaide Footy League grand finals is locked in following do or die preliminary finals on Friday night and Saturday.
Here are The Messenger’s reports from every division:
READ THE FULL DIVISION ONE AND DIVISION TWO REPORTS
DIVISION THREE
Surprise-packet Gaza cannot wait for its grand final date against minor premier North Haven, according to coach Matt Krieg.
The Eagles pulled off one of the upsets of the preliminary finals by knocking off defending champion Golden Grove by 23 points at Campbelltown Memorial Oval on Saturday.
Gaza blew the game open in a 6.1 to 2.4 second quarter and powered home to record a memorable 14.10 (94) to 10.11 (71) victory.
Krieg said excitement and emotion were high at the club for the clash against North Haven.
“We can’t wait to be honest,” Krieg said.
“They’ll obviously go in favourites so our minds are pretty free and we’re just looking forward to it.
“I probably didn’t appreciate it enough myself but then speaking to people on Saturday night and seeing the reaction after the game, there were plenty of grown men in tears so it obviously means a fair bit to a fair few people after a few lean years.”
Damon Hill booted four goals for Gaza in a best on ground display against Golden Grove alongside strong performances from Scott Lewis and Ben Nason.
Mitchell Payne was the standout for Golden Grove, which would be bitterly disappointed it did not get an opportunity to defend its crown following another strong year.
Krieg said it all came together against the Kookaburras and Gaza had hit its straps in the second half of the campaign.
“We had some key personnel missing at different points throughout the season and a lot of new players into the footy club this year,” he said.
“The back half of the year we’ve managed to get our key players all on the park at the same time and made very few changes over the past few weeks.”
North Haven’s entry to the grand final came in much more nailbiting fashion as it overcame Flinders Park 7.17 (59) to 8.9 (57) at Payneham Oval.
Tom Sandercock was the hero for the Magpies, goaling in the dying minutes to put his side a point ahead before a clutch mark and behind after the siren added to the margin.
Despite the win, North Haven playing coach Ryan McInerney said Flinders Park probably had the better of the contest for most of the day.
“Our boys were able to hang on in a couple of the keys moments and were able to get it done for us,” McInerney said.
“Part of our enjoyment was just seeing how happy our supporters were after the game and back and the club.
“It’s huge for the club, we haven’t been up in division two since the late 1980s so it’s fantastic to reach the grand final.”
DIVISION FOUR
Pembroke Old Scholars will be doing plenty of soul searching this week after the Kings were bundled out of the finals after finishing as minor premier for the seconds straight year.
Underdog SMOSH West Lakes caused the boilover when it proved too good for the poor-kicking favourites in a 8.9 (62) to 4.17 (41) victory at Price Memorial Oval on Saturday.
The Lions, who needed until the last minor round to confirm their spot in the top four, will now face Morphettville Park in the grand final.
SMOSH’s last A grade men’s flag came in 2007.
On Saturday, the likes of Sam Fairclough and Darcy Ginever were terrific as the Lions were able to hold onto a two to three-goal buffer for much of the contest.
Adam Carroll booted three majors.
Ben Williams, Izaak Twelftree and James Allan were Pembroke’s best.
The Kings shot themselves in the foot with wretched kicking as they recorded 1.5, 0.4, 2.5 and 1.3 across the four quarters.
On Friday night, Morphettville Park moved one win away from breaking a 31-year drought by beating reigning premier Walkerville at Glenelg Oval.
Read the full report from that match here.
DIVISION FIVE
A trio of grand finals await for the Kenilworth Football Club after winning through to the big dance in the A, B and C grades.
Pooraka will be the Kookaburras’ opponent in the seniors with the two sides set to meet at Blair Athol Reserve.
And they will be desperate to grab a flag after falling one point short against Lockleys in last year’s division five grand final.
Kenilworth finished strongest against local rival Colonel Light Gardens in their preliminary final at Hope Valley Oval on Saturday.
Leading by a goal at the last change, the Kookaburras’ weight of repeated forward entries crumbled the Lions as they kicked 3.8 to 2.1 and took a 11.16 (82) to 8.15 (63) win.
Myles Crump booted four goals for Kenilworth while Tai Duong and Myles Krakouer were prolific.
Pooraka appears to be slight grand final favourites however.
The minor premier had all the answers against Eastern Park, kicking 13.17 (95) to 11.8 (74) in their preliminary final encounter at Blair Athol Reserve.
Frank Timpano, Kye Vandermoer and Ashley Benz were the Bulls’ standouts.
Peter Diedrichsen battled hard for Eastern Park.
Pooraka has won its past five and will go into the grand final against Kenilworth full of confidence.
The teams split their two minor round meetings, with the away side winning on both occasions.
DIVISION SIX
Elizabeth’s dream of a perfect season is so close the Eagles can almost touch it.
But first, the undefeated side will need to get through an inform St Paul’s Old Scholars outfit.
Both Elizabeth and the Saints secured their spots in the division six decider with convincing preliminary final wins on Saturday.
The Eagles appeared to have a game on their hands early when they were a point down at the first change to Blackfriars Old Scholars at Elizabeth Oval.
But they then showed why they have streaked to 17-0 this campaign, kicking 10 goals to one after quarter time to prevail 12.13 (85) to 3.12 (30) over the wasteful Hounds.
Jake Reynolds, Ben Taylor and Jarad Clinton (three goals) led the way for the Eagles.
SPOS will prove a formidable opponent when the two sides meet at Elizabeth Oval this Saturday.
The Saints slammed on six goals to zero in the opening term of their preliminary final against Trinity Old Scholars and controlled the game expertly from there.
The 12.9 (81) to 6.10 (46) victory came through the good work of Matthew Pendlington (six goals), Michael Mattei and Tyson Soulsby.
SPOS will be hoping to add another flag to its 2019 division seven triumph while Elizabeth is searching for its first premiership since 2005.
DIVISION SEVEN
Reigning premier Brahma Lodge will meet Central United in the division grand final next Saturday.
United booked its spot through a grinding one-point nailbiter over Adelaide Lutheran at Payneham Oval on Friday night.
Central pegged back a 13-point half-time deficit to triumph 7.7 (49) to 7.6 (48) and keep a fairytale season alive where it has gone from wooden spooner to minor premier.
Brahma Lodge meanwhile upset higher ranked Greenacres by 28 points to give itself a shot at going back-to-back in the league’s lowest tier.
The Tigers shot out to a three-goal lead by quarter time and did not look back, prevailing 9.14 (68) to 4.16 (40) against the wasteful Dragons at Blair Athol Reserve.
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