VAFA 2018: Parkside storms into Division 4 grand final with preliminary final win over St Francis Xavier
HOW times have changed for Parkside. In the past 13 months, the Devils have transformed themselves from a wooden spoon battler to a premiership contender in VAFA Division 4.
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HOW times have changed for Parkside.
In the past 13 months, the Devils have transformed themselves from a wooden spoon battler to a premiership contender in VAFA Division 4.
Parkside was 1-11 after 12 rounds of coach Rick Frost’s first season in charge, but triumphed in four of its remaining games to finish seventh.
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Frost believes the optimism generated by that late-season surge gave his side the belief it could contend for finals and helped the Devils finish second behind North Brunswick this year.
Those two clubs will clash in this weekend’s grand final, with Parkside chasing its first VAFA premiership since 1988.
“I am so proud of these guys,” Frost said.
“They were very clear last year on where we were and what we needed to do.
“If it wasn’t for the last five games last year, we’d only won one game up until that (period). “It’s been amazing since then. The work was done before then. It really has taken two years to get where we are.”
The Devils earned another crack at minor premier North Brunswick with a 15.5 (95) to 4.6 (30) victory over St Francis Xavier in Saturday’s preliminary final.
Parkside slammed on five goals straight in the opening quarter and powered to a 51-point halftime advantage at Whitefriars College.
After St Francis Xavier got within 30 points at three-quarter-time, the Devils reasserted themselves with a six-goal fourth term.
Luciano Logozzo and Sam Gilfedder kicked four goals apiece, while Thomas McKinlay, Ryder Susman and Cody Lawson were superb.
“It was the younger guys that reached their expectation of performance,” Frost said.
“When a lot of younger guys do that, you get a groundswell of activity.
“We didn’t have to rely on the prime movers.”
Parkside has lost three times to North Brunswick this year by an average of 46 points.
“I was thinking with the young crop, if we did finish third or fourth, they might not have been ready for the initial burst of what finals are,” Frost said.
“We had the opportunity to learn that against (North) Brunswick.”
Regardless of the grand final result, the Devils will feature in Division 3 next year.
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