Uni Blues enter VAFA Premier B finals as favourites but taking nothing for granted

UNI Blues coach Quinton Gleeson says past performances will count for little as his side prepares to start its VAFA Premier B finals campaign against St Kevins this weekend.

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AS FAR as Uni Blues coach Quinton Gleeson is concerned, a new phase of the Victorian Amateur Football Association season begins this weekend when finals start.

Uni Blues dominated the regular season in Premier B and finished the season with a four-game buffer over St Kevins despite a 10-point loss to Caulfield Grammarians on Saturday.

Gleeson said ladder positions and past performances would count for little as the premiership race intensifies.

“The world is our oyster, it is all within our control,” Gleeson said.

“You might think you deserve this or deserve that but at the end of the day it comes back to that next contest that we keep talking about.”

Few would disagree Uni Blues will enter finals as favourites, but Gleeson said they would be foolish to underestimate their rivals.

Old Carey looms as the most likely roadblock, but Uni Blues expect the division’s other finalists to throw everything at them.

“We played St Kevins only a couple of weeks ago and although we won reasonably well it was a bloody good contest,” he said.

“They probably finished the game a lot better than us, they had nine shots at goal in the last quarter. Old Melburnians, the last time we played them they were slightly undermanned and we won quite convincingly.

“It was a hotly contested sort of day, not many goals were kicked.

“(But) finals are a totally different game and it’s 0-0 once the finals commence.”

Caulfield Grammarians handed the minor premier their third loss of the campaign at Glenhuntly Oval on Saturday.

But it was St Kevins who made the biggest statement, thumping Old Carey to climb into second and set up a semi-final against Uni Blues this weekend.

In Premier Division, Uni Blacks will play St Bernards over the next two weeks, including a first final.

The premiership favourites are slated for a top-two finish ahead of their clash this weekend.

Joel Ernest snagged six goals as Uni Blacks beat Old Brighton by 95 points in its penultimate game of the campaign.

Richmond Central tuned up for Division 3 finals with a 25-point win against Swinburne University on Saturday.