EFL 2019: Boronia to meet Mitcham in Division 2 preliminary final
Boronia coach Matt Clark has labelled Ringwood as premiership favourites in the EFL Division 2 flag race after the Redbacks booked the first place in the decider.
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Boronia and Ringwood have established one of the great rivalries in the EFL over the past 12 months.
There’s a chance the two sides could meet in a grand final for the second consecutive season.
But if Boronia is to reach the decider, it will have to go through the preliminary final after Ringwood booked the first place in the Division 3 grand final with a 14-point win in the second semi-final at East Burwood Reserve.
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Boronia coach Matt Clark said his side would be desperate to cash-in its double chance in the preliminary final to advance to the decider.
He said Ringwood had established itself as the team to beat after the 10.15 (75) to 8.13 (61) result.
It was the second consecutive week the Redbacks had toppled the Hawks after a 67-point win in Round 18.
“They’ve got a lot of good options and they work really hard around the footy and behind the footy, too,” Clark said.
“The fact they’ve been able to get us two weeks in a row … I think they are the side to beat.
“I think their last five or six weeks have been super for them, too. They’re a dangerous side and whoever comes up against them, hopefully it’s us … if we’re lucky enough to play them again, we’re going have to work hard because they are the best side in it.”
If the two sides do meet in the grand final, it would be the third time in four weeks the pair would have met.
Boronia trailed by four points at three-quarter time and had the assistance of the wind in the final term at East Burwood Reserve.
Clark said his side was outworked in the final 10 minutes.
Wasted opportunities proved to be the difference. The Hawks kicked 0.6 in the last quarter.
“They’ve got us two weeks in a row,” Clark said.
“I thought we had momentum at the 10-minute mark of the last quarter. We were three points up and kicked with the breeze, too.
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“All the things were adding up for us, we just needed to convert a goal.
“We just kept kicking points and a couple out on the full. They’re a good side and they were able to capitalise on us and I felt their run in the last 10 minutes was super.”
Boronia will meet Mitcham in the preliminary final on Saturday after the Tigers scored an extra-time elimination win over Heathmont.
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