Finals fever: Warwick Redbacks one game away from AFL grand final after epic comeback against Goondiwindi Hawks

Only one match stands between the Warwick side and a spot in the DDAFL grand final, as three Redbacks are named among the best in the competition’s 50 years.

Carmelo Citrigno, Redbacks and Corin Sankey, Coolaroo. Coolaroo vs Warwick men. AFLDD semi finals. Saturday. 19th Sep 2020

An epic comeback in an elimination final has put the Warwick Redbacks only one game away from the club’s first grand final clash in years.

The Warwick men’s side defeated Goondiwindi Hawks in a nailbiting 9.10 (64) to 8.6 (54) victory, outplaying the home side to clinch the win from a four-point deficit at three-quarter time.

Pulling off the fightback after losing to Goondiwindi by 23 points only the week before, Redbacks coach Tyhe Clarkson described the win as “unreal” for his squad.

“It was outstanding – we haven’t beaten Gundy out at Gundy for seven years, so we were ecstatic,” Clarkson said.

“It’s probably the best footballing memory I have and I didn’t even play, so it was unreal.

“We haven’t had our best team on the park all year with injuries, work commitments, and that sort of thing … but it’s all coming together at the end of the season, and there have been a few guys playing some really good football.”

The Redbacks have now lined up a blockbuster clash against the University side on Saturday, where a win will lock in a grand final match against either South Toowoomba or the undefeated Coolaroo team.

Warwick Redbacks will take on the University side in their preliminary final on Saturday, where coach Tyhe Clarkson hopes experience and maturity will be enough to secure a grand final spot. Photo Nev Madsen / News Regional Media

Clarkson said he was confident the Redbacks, led by captain Brendan Iles and vice-captain Steven Grogan, had the experience and match fitness to strongly contest the ball and play their best for a full four quarters.

The finals fever comes as three of members of the Warwick team were named in the Darling Downs AFL “Best 50 of 50” squad, which celebrates the best players of the regional competition in its first half-century.

Clarkson, Iles, and fellow current player Kurt Millard were included for the Redbacks, and all three have a chance to be listed in the final 22-man squad at the Darling Downs AFL awards night on Saturday.

A member of the club since 2012 and moving through the ranks from player to captain and now coach, Clarkson said it was an honour to be nominated.

“There’s been thousands of players who have played in that time, so it’s humbling and it’s great to be able to share it with another couple of the guys from Warwick as well,” he said.

“It’s the mateship that’s really important. You get to hang out with your mates and kick a footy around, do two things you love doing.

“I think we have a good culture building at the club and it’s going in the right direction.”

The Warwick Redbacks will host their presentation night on Saturday, September 4 at their clubhouse at Warwick Credit Union Oval.

Click here to RSVP via the club’s Facebook page.

Originally published as Finals fever: Warwick Redbacks one game away from AFL grand final after epic comeback against Goondiwindi Hawks