Hope Valley boosted by elimination final 50-point turnaround against Pembroke OS

An Adelaide Footy League contender believes it can go all the way this finals series after mounting one of the great local SA footy comebacks to secure a remarkable elimination final win.

An Adelaide Footy League club on the rise believes it can go all the way after achieving one of the local game’s great finals comebacks.

Division three club Hope Valley had not defeated Pembroke OS since 2020 and was staring down the barrel at three-quarter-time of its elimination final against the Kings on Saturday, trailing by 30 points.

The home side – led by midfielder Ben Carabott, ruck Will Riddle and key forward Daniel Nobes – would somehow flick a switch in the final term however, dominating for 30 minutes to boot 11 goals to three and take out a remarkable 18.13 (121) to 16.6 (102) win.

The Demons won almost every clearance at centre and around the ground in the final term as they completely overran the Kings to send them packing for season 2023.

Hope Valley's Daniel Nobes was a standout with five goals against Pembroke OS. Picture: Lisa Wright

“I don’t think I’ve ever been involved in a quarter like that where we were just completely dominant,” playing-coach Matt Min said.

“It was crazy, the crowd really got involved, all of our big guns stood up and we just ran over the top of them. We couldn’t lose a clearance.”

The result could mark a major shift in the side’s mentality heading into its semi-final matchup with Scott Thompson’s Unley away from home this weekend.

Min said the monkey was off the back after the Demons had lost to Pembroke at home just a week prior to the elimination final.

“We were probably a bit worried it was going to go the same way as the week before during that final break so I just put it to the boys that we either had to lift or it would be the final quarter of our season,” he said.

“We saw a really good response on the field and got the job done. There was a fair bit of relief.

Hope Valley's Matthew Min in action for the Demons. Picture: Lisa Wright

“I think we can use that momentum against Unley this weekend to hopefully give ourselves a chance at making a grand final.”

The Demons put a similar run together in last season’s division four finals series, coming from the clouds to make the big dance and earn promotion to division three.

While Min believed his team could draw confidence from that experience, he said his players had to remain level-headed.

“We’re really looking forward to the test against Unley, we managed to beat them earlier in the year and then they got one over us so we know it’s going to be a tough game.

“The boys are all really pumped which is great but we also need to make sure we stay calm and focused because last year when we went on that run we felt like we won our grand final in the prelim and then lost the big game to Pembroke.

“If we can stay locked in and execute then I think we’ll have a good chance of winning.”