Moorabbin reaches Sub-District finals for the first time since 1993-94
Led by captain-coach Romain Grenville, the Binners defeated Plenty Valley to jump into the top six in a dramatic final round of Subbies.
South East
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Everything had to go Moorabbin’s way.
Everything did, and the Binners will play in the VSDCA finals for the first time since 1993-94 after emerging as one of the big winners of a gripping final round.
Moorabbin and Kew jumped into the top six with victories, but Brunswick and Brighton tumbled out of it with losses.
Ormond dropped from third to sixth with its defeat to Caulfield, which profited from the great Graeme Rummans’ third century of the season.
Results elsewhere would have meant nothing to Moorabbin if it didn’t defeat Plenty Valley at the Moorleigh Community Village ground in east Bentleigh.
The Binners won in style, blitzing 8-205 off their 45 overs and dismissing the Bats for 173.
Captain and coach Romain Grenville had an outstanding match, hitting 74 from the opening slot and taking 2-34 off nine overs.
He made his runs quickly and stylishly, driving successive balls from Plenty Valley quickie Simon Black down the ground for boundaries.
Grenville hit 11 fours and was trying to hit another when he advanced at Callum Nankervis and hit a high catch to Toby Raper.
He was furious as he came through the gate.
“No clapping. That was poor leadership,’’ he said.
Overseas player Karl Carver’s 33 and late runs from Roshan Livera (23) and big-hitting left-hander Luke Ashen (22) lifted the Binners past 200.
Plenty Valley made a promising start to its reply, but Grenville caught and bowled Bats captain Ryan Pearson for 24 to get the breakthrough.
Tane Cotter and Nankervis soon followed Pearson to the pavilion, but former VFL player Ryan Pearson and Rory Collins put up a perky partnership of 90.
Grenville ended it, removing Pearson for 62 (6 fours, 2 sixes). From there Moorabbin swept through the lower-order, with Clayron Landers nabbing 3-30 off his nine overs.
Livera’s 1-20 off nine was also a good contribution.
With news coming through that Brighton had been defeated by Malvern, Moorabbin could sing the song with gusto.
“When we had Plenty Valley eight wickets down and they still needed 30 or so, we knew if we won that we’d get in,’’ Binners stalwart Alan Marion said.
“It got a bit nerve-racking but we got there.
“We had a function last night too so the win made it a lot better.’’
Since its last finals appearance Moorabbin has had more lean seasons than it would care to remember, and two years ago Subbies officials called the club in to discuss how it planned to improve.
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Grenville, who had coached Mt Waverley to a premiership only to be unceremoniously canned midway through the following season, was appointed coach ahead of 2018-19. The Binners also recruited overseas pair Carver and Vishva Wijeratne, and both have given the club excellent service.
They’ll need to continue in that vein this weekend when Moorabbin visits powerhouse Caulfield in the quarterfinals.
“Of course we can,’’ Marion said when it was suggested Moorabbin couldn’t beat Caulfield.
“It’s finals. A lot things can happen. We’re in there.’’
He said Grenville had “turned us around from accepting losing to giving us the confidence we can win’’.
“That change of attitude has certainly helped,’’ Marion said.
“But we know we’ve still got a lot of work to do with the rest of the club, in the lower XIs. This (a finals berth) is a heck of a good start.’’