EFL 2019: South Belgrave overwhelms Waverley Blues in Division 3 grand final
Waverley Blues threatened a boilover in the EFL Division 3 decider but were reduced to spectators as South Belgrave completed its undefeated campaign in style.
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There wasn’t much more Waverley Blues could have done.
They threatened an upset in Saturday’s EFL Division 3 decider before South Belgrave overwhelmed the underdogs in the second half at Ringwood’s Jubilee Park.
Waverley kicked the opening three goals and kept the Saints to 0.6 until halfway through the second quarter.
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It was the first time in 2019 that undefeated South Belgrave failed to kick a goal in a quarter.
But the floodgates opened.
From the 15-minute mark of the second quarter, the Saints had 26 of the next 30 scoring shots on their way to a 57-point triumph to complete their unblemished season.
Waverley made the grand final from a 2-5 start and only finished inside the top four on percentage. It also had to retrieve a 37-point deficit in its first final against Warrandyte before prevailing in extra-time.
Waverley coach Bryce McGain said there had been growth from his group in the second half of the year.
“Our top players have continued to play well and we’re really proud of them,” McGain said. “It’s been the rise of everyone else … a lot of those guys are young and inexperienced.
“Some of them are playing their first season of senior footy, some have played a handful of games before.
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“(We’re) really pleased where we’ve come from to make the grand final.
“It would have been nice to be hanging in there in the last quarter, but not one of the players gave up.”
South Belgrave entered the grand final with a 19-0 record and had won its semi-final by 107 points but, in the opening term, was put under significant pressure for the first time all season.
It trailed by 16 points halfway through the second quarter before winning 12.19 (91) to 5.4 (34).
“We delivered exactly how we wanted to play. Our energy, enthusiasm and pressure was fantastic early on,” McGain said.
“It felt like it was swinging their way when they won the toss and wanted to kick with the (wind) and it felt like it was a strong breeze.
“It just became a bit overwhelming in the second half and they’re a good team.”
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