GCA1 grand final news: North Geelong v East Belmont
North Geelong has won its fourth straight premiership in the GCA1.
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A stunning performance from North Geelong captain Tom Mathieson has lifted his team to a fourth consecutive GCA1 title after a gallant East Belmont fell 31 runs shy of the Magpies 211.
Mathieson exploited the seaming Queens Park wicket to perfection, cutting a swathe through the Lions batting on the way to a man-of-the-match-winning 5-26.
New-ball firebrand Dale Kerr (3-31) bowled with venom up top, removing the dangerous Shane McNamara without scoring before Mathieson took responsibility for his team’s fortunes in claiming the key scalps of Sean O’Neill (26), Josh Lacey (20) and Locky Inglis (1).
The aggressive Ben Knight (20) and Dylan McMahon (22) were other Lions to get starts but it was left to Hayden McMahon to anchor the chase with a valiant 95-ball unbeaten 63.
Earlier North Geelong’s opening-wicket aggression once again paid dividends with Sam Hall (35) and Ned Cooper (37) combining for a 70-run opening stand before the former fell in the 17th over.
East Belmont was able to slow the scoring through the middle overs as Josh Lacey (1-28) and James McMahon (0-12) took the pace off, while Ben Knight’s tight lines were rewarded with 2-31.
Despite the Lions working their way back into the contest, Blake Troy stabilised the innings with a poised 31 before a brisk unbroken 68-run sixth-wicket union between Andrew Fergusson (48 not out) and Dale Kerr (33 not out) propelled the Magpies to the ultimately unreachable 5-211 and a fourth consecutive GCA1 flag.
Win it for Liam: Grand final team’s gesture for ‘hugely popular’ clubman
East Belmont has named Liam Harrington as its 12th man for the grand final he was supposed to be playing in, while one captain paid tribute to the Lion who tragically passed away this week.
EAST BELMONT captain Shane McNamara says the Lions community was hurting after the shocking death of a fourth-grade player, just days out from a grand final.
Liam Harrington was set to play in the Lions’ grand final against Newtown & Chilwell, but tragically passed away on Tuesday.
McNamara said the death had “devastated” the club.
“It’s been a tough one, I can’t imagine what his family is going through, the news shocked everyone,” he said.
“From an East Belmont point of view, he was a hugely popular guy, tremendously popular at the club and he’s going to be very missed.
“It certainly puts the grand finals into perspective in a lot of ways, it’s a tough ask to get people to focus on cricket at times like this.
“That’s the great thing about the club is that we’ve got each other, we can support each other and the family through the difficult times.
“A lot of guys and families came down to the club on Wednesday to be there for each other, which is the best part about sporting clubs, they’re such a great avenue for supporting each other, not only through good times but also times like this.
“We’ll certainly do our best for Liam and try to do the club and him proud.”
The Lions will face North Geelong in the third straight GCA1 grand final, with the two sides set for a minute’s silence before the game.
East Belmont also named Harrington as 12th man for its fourth XI grand final in a touching gesture.
McNamara said the club was ready to bring home multiple flags, with three teams playing in grand finals.
“We’ll take a bit out of the first final against them, we’ve played them a few times this year so we know what to expect,” he said.
“The excitement around the club at the moment is great, we’ve got a few teams in grand finals this year and while they don’t get spoken about as much they’re just as much a part of the club.
“So to have them playing in grand finals is really great.”
‘Hall of Famer’ adds flexibility to Lions order
East Belmont’s preliminary final hero has held his spot for the grand final against North Geelong, while a ‘Hall of Famer’ adds flexibility to a strong batting line up. Break down the full teams here.
EAST Belmont coach Chris Williams does not think he has settled on a batting order ahead of the GCA1 grand final against North Geelong, with a flexible middle order offering the Lions an advantage.
The Lions are coming off a preliminary final win over Grovedale where they successfully chased down 244, with opener Sean O’Neill piling on an undefeated 92 runs off 98 balls.
O’Neill had been shifted up the order to open the batting in the final after spending the majority of the season batting in the middle order, and Williams flagged he had not decided where he would slot in.
“Sean already is, and will be, a Hall of Famer at our club, he missed a little bit of cricket at the start of the year and Locky (Inglis) did a really good job opening up for us,” he said.
“But we know we always have that switch available to us in the middle order, so having those two able to switch last weekend in the chase, and both be able to do what they can do.
“Locky iced the chase at the end and obviously Sean got us off to that flyer until cramp took over and he had to retire.”
Inglis has spent time opening the batting alongside skipper Shane McNamara, but came in at number six to secure the win with a 76 run partnership with reserves captain Ben Knight, who made 36 after getting called up in Jack Jenkins’ absence.
Williams said Jenkins would slide back into the grand final side after missing the preliminary final with a wedding, but Knight had earned his spot.
“He came in last week for a bowler and as an all-rounder he gave us a little bit of flexibility in that position,” he said.
“He was almost our best performer with the ball when (Jordan) Moran was going, and he was really critical in that last partnership with Locky
to finish the game.
“Jack is one of our best bowlers for the last three years so he’ll come back in.”
Noah Quick is the heartbreak story for East Belmont, missing out on grand final selection.
‘Beat us comfortably’: Why Lions are a dangerous threat
North Geelong star Ned Cooper knows his way around a grand final, and he says East Belmont is as tough an opponent as they come. Find out why.
NORTH Geelong star Ned Cooper says it would be special to win his first grand final for the club after moving from the BPCA at the end of last season.
The former Anglesea star was watching on as the Roos won their fourth-straight BPCA A1 premiership over Jan Juc last weekend, and he will be a key cog in North Geelong’s flag hopes against East Belmont.
Cooper said he was at Eastern Reserve in Winchelsea to watch his old teammates win another premiership, and he hoped to carry that winning feeling across to the Magpies.
“I was out there on Saturday afternoon after watching our fourths in their final, then I watching on Sunday as well when they won it,” he said.
“It was really enjoyable to watch, I’ve still got a lot of good mates at the club so to see them get a win was great, and in such an exciting game too.
“Hopefully we can do the same this weekend.”
Cooper has starred for the Magpies in his first season at the club, piling on 445 runs across 14 innings, losing just one game on the way to the minor premiership.
The opening batter started the season strongly, posting a maiden century against Highton before notching up 59 runs against the Lions in round 3.
North Geelong will face East Belmont, making it the third-consecutive grand final between the two sides.
The Magpies have won the past three premierships, while East Belmont triumphed over Grovedale in 2018-19.
He said they were a dangerous side that was littered with talented players capable of putting in a match-winning performance.
“They’re a really good side, they’re the only team to beat us this year and they beat us comfortably,” he said.
“They’ve got some stars across the board with both the bat and the ball, but they have so many guys who can contribute, so I suppose it’ll be two good sides going at it to create a good intensity and atmosphere.
“I think if we all play our part and our roles that would be the main reason why we would get over the line, but you can’t leave it up to one bloke to do it all.
“Adding in the fact that it’s a grand final, I’m sure it’s going to be even more intense on Saturday.”
Originally published as GCA1 grand final news: North Geelong v East Belmont
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