EDFL 2018: Keilor comes from 44 points down to beat Strathmore in Premier Division preliminary final
FORMER Collingwood champion Mick McGuane has coached his Keilor side to an incredible win in a preliminary final, coming back from 44 points down at three-quarter time.
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STRATHMORE’S premiership dream evaporated in a horror 30 minutes in Sunday’s Essendon District Football League preliminary final.
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The Mores held a 44-point lead at three-quarter-time against Keilor at Windy Hill and the result appeared a mere formality.
But after kicking just five goals in the opening three terms, the Blues piled on seven unanswered goals in the last quarter to claim a two-point victory and set up a Premier Division grand final appointment with Aberfeldie.
It was an extraordinary blitz from Mick McGuane’s team as big man Andrew Browne and star midfielder Kane Barbuto piloted the revival with the assistance of Dean Galea and Josh Martin, who bagged two goals apiece in a pressure-packed final term.
After failing to score for half-an-hour, Strathmore had two opportunities late in the game, but Keilor defended bravely to score a 12.17 (89) to 12.15 (87) triumph at Windy Hill.
The match was Nathan Grima’s last as coach after two years in charge, with the former AFL defender set to move to Adelaide.
Our season is still alive. The GF to come. Remarkable performance by our players to overcome the odds to win. Strathmore were brilliant in game and even more so after the final siren. They conducted themselves graciously in trying circumstances. Local footy at its best. #sleepnow https://t.co/A7yz6sua4F
— Michael McGuane (@MickMCG34) September 9, 2018
Grima steered the Mores to finals in both seasons of his tenure and leaves the club in a strong position.
“Just absolutely devastated,” Grima said.
“Should have won the game, didn’t, and that’s the facts.
“With a young team, we put ourselves in a position to win the game to go into a grand final.
“The naysayers will have plenty to say of went wrong in the last quarter, but I’m proud.
“I’ll probably feel sick about that for the rest of my days to think could I have done something better to help these young blokes experience a grand final.”
Tom Condon ignited his team with three first-quarter goals as it established a 29-point quarter-time lead.
He finished with four for the match, while Ben Holinan, Luke Jarrad, Hamish McIntosh and Grima were other key contributors.
“To give up a seven-goal deficit at three-quarter-time is not the way you plan things, but in saying that we believe a lot in what we do and we believe in how we play,” Keilor coach Mick McGuane said.
“We thought we were a realistic chance to get back into the game if we scored quick, and we know we can. We’re ranked No.1 in offence for a reason.
“We can play the game at speed, we’ve got a damaging forward line if our delivery inside 50 is acceptable. We didn’t do that at all for three quarters.
“We changed up the formation of the squad (at three-quarter-time) and got some real shape on the outside with some height, our midfielders got to work … and we really generated run.”
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