Greensborough face Northern Football League elimination final against Bundoora

GREENSBOROUGH will need to defy history if it is to progress to the Northern Football League preliminary final.

Greensborough coach Ben Turner. Picture: Richard Serong

GREENSBOROUGH coach Ben Turner is looking for answers to explain his side’s unexpected form slump.

The Borough entered Saturday’s Division 1 qualifying final on the back of two losses to the 10th and ninth-placed sides and were dealt a thumping loss at the hands of a red-hot Macleod on Saturday.

When asked what had happened since his side’s Round 16 win over ladder-leaders Heidelberg, Turner said he could not put his finger on it.

“We feel as if we have been preparing well for each match, particularly the weekend, (but) we ran into an opposition that was red-hot,” Turner said.

“We had our moments throughout the course of the match but we just couldn’t put it together for the amount of time Macleod were capable of.”

The Borough slotted four of the first five goals of the contest, but could only manage another four after that as the Roos ran out 17.15 (117) to 8.8 (56) winners.

The Borough will have to defy history this weekend against Bundoora if it is to progress through to the preliminary final.

Since the Northern Football League moved to a top-five in 2010, five of the qualifying final losers have exited the finals in straight sets — the exception being Eltham’s come-from-behind win against Northcote Park last year.

Turner said his side’s disposal was the area of most concern.

“We seem to be turning the ball over a lot, but that is obviously an area that can be fixed,” he said.

“When we get the ball, we seem to be coughing it up too much.

“I think the inside 50 count in the last quarter was 18-1 so that makes it hard work for anyone.”

However, Turner said he was confident the Borough could recapture the form that saw them win six games on the trot between rounds 11 and 16.

“We earnt the right to a double-chance, we’ve got that now and we have to utilise it,” he said.