Banyule holds off epic Lower Plenty comeback to win qualifying final
Lower Plenty almost performed a miracle but Banyule stood firm to claim a NFL Division 2 qualifying final epic and book a date with Eltham.
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Banyule survived an epic Lower Plenty comeback on Saturday to book a semi-final date with Eltham.
The all-Bears NFL Division 2 qualifying final was a tale of two halves as Banyule raced out to a 48-point lead at half-time at Epping Recreation Reserve.
Lower kicked nine goals to two after half-time, including five unanswered goals in the fourth quarter, to come within three points but couldn’t find the goal it desperate craved to hit the front.
The maroon and blue Bears holding on by just five points, 11.8 (74) to 10.9 (69).
Banyule coach Paul Harris admitted a sense of relief as the final siren rang out.
“We obviously had a really good first half and we knew Lower Plenty are a good side and were going to come back and to their credit they were fantastic in the second half but luckily we held on,” he said.
“We were rapt with the way the boys came out and played, everything seemed to come off for us.
“When one side’s got full momentum, it’s hard to turn that around and they did that so well done to them but to our guys’ credit we hung in there.
“Yes, we were well up and they came back and made it a really close game but at the end of the day our aim was to play Eltham and we’re there so we’re happy with that.”
Michael Edwards and James Kayrooz ignited Banyule in the first half, kicking three goals each.
Adam Carafa kicked the first goal of the game and was prolific in midfield to earn best-on-ground honours, while Aydin Dani was electric off half-back with his run-and-carry.
Lower Plenty were kept goalless in the second quarter but were a different team after the main break.
Tom Keys took control of the midfield, stepping into the ruck to combat Tim Martin, while key players Julian Turner, Darcy Barden and Tyler Wallace started to get first use.
Lower missed several chances in the third term and Jonathon Zapantis’ rush of blood proved pivotal as he marked in the goalsquare but quickly played on and his kick went out of bounds on the full.
In just his seventh game of the season it was unheralded forward Liam Riley that sparked Lower’s fourth-quarter fightback.
Riley booted three majors in the final term as the maroon and gold Bears surged from 35 points down.
Billy Barden had a chance to give his club the lead but couldn’t convert a difficult opportunity from the boundary.
Bears coach Phil Plunkett said his team wouldn’t dwell on the loss for long.
“Coming from 10 goals down at half-time is not ideal so we’ll have to readjust a few things,” he said.
“They were just too good in the first half and had set up the win and we were only going to try and pinch it.
“We’ll wait and see what eventuates (on Sunday) but that’s the beauty of where we finished, we came close but we’ve got another chance.
“The boys were really quiet at the start of the game, so I don’t know whether they were a little bit nervous.
“We’ll address a few things and look to see if we can bounce back and go from there.”
The win earns Banyule a shot at minor premier Eltham next Saturday in the second semi-final back at Epping.
The Panthers claimed victory in both meetings this season but Harris is confident his team can turn the tables.
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“Any final is an opportunity to learn for your next one, winning a tight one like that will give the guys great confidence,” he said.
“They comfortably beat us the first time at their ground and we got that gap a little bit closer the second time around but they still got us.
“We think we’re in a good position to play them, coming off the back of a really tight final holds us in a good position.”
Lower Plenty will play the winner of Sunday’s Diamond Creek-Thomastown elimination final on Sunday at Epping.
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