Belmont Lions into GDFNL grand final as star David Allitt leads his side to comeback upset over East Geelong
East Geelong was overrun by a barnstorming Belmont side, but the minor premiers are confident they can still go all the way.
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The windswept semi-final between East Geelong and Belmont Lions was an absolute snooze-fest for three quarters.
Fans would’ve been struggling to stay awake if not for the wild breeze hitting their faces blowing towards the boundary line of the right hand side of the ground.
The margin remained manageable – the Lions trailing by 13 points at the main break kicking with the wind in the last – but repeat stoppages were the order of the day as the side without the breeze looked to create congestion and stop the opposition scoring.
That was until Belmont goalsneak David Allitt brought the game to life with a miraculous final quarter that almost single-handedly powered the Lions a historic grand final berth, claiming a 8.9 (57) to 5.3. (33) come-from-behind victory.
Allitt — who was best-on-ground with four goals in their win last week — put the Lions within a point by kicking two goals in the first three minutes of the second term, pulling out the Yusuk Dikec Turkish shooter pose after snapping one through inside 30 seconds.
The next came after a perfectly weighted pass from Bradley Michell inside 50, which he coolly slotted.
Michell hit him up again shortly after and a snap from 25 metres out comically went straight up in the air and only travelled 10 metres because of the tricky breeze.
But Allitt made up for that blunder with another moment of brilliance, dribbling it through defenders in heavy congestion to put the Lions in front for the first time for the day.
From there the ball lived in the Belmont’s forward half as the Eagles defended opposition forays grimly, but the wind meant the Lions were there waiting to pick off any rebound 50s.
GDFNL team of the year member Ben Evans was rewarded for his tireless work up forward and in the ruck with two late goals that sealed the deal for the Lions.
It has been a long wait; 17 years since their first and only GDFNL premiership, they have the chance to win another in a fortnight’s time.
And the possibility of that was in serious doubt midway through the first quarter.
East Geelong had all the running as it put through 4.5 to 1.1 in the opening term.
But that solitary goal for the Lions in the first quarter proved to be crucial, given it was the only major kicked to the left of screen for the entire match.
Lions Brock Mahoney and Josh Wilson both kicked cracking goals on the run to get the Lions back in the contest, and for the next quarter it was an arm-wrestle.
East Geelong was held goalless for 45 minutes – scoring just one goal with the wind in the third term – and managed just 1.2 after quarter time as the Lions’ manic pressure and clever tactics won out.
It wasn’t pretty, but boy it was effective. And then came that stunning 33-point turnaround in the final quarter, with the second half showing the gears that this side has.
“I know people will look to the start of the fourth when they scored, but they probably went a long way to winning the game in that third quarter where we just couldn’t get the ball out in the open and use that wind that was wreaking havoc,” East Geelong playing coach Ned Aulsebrook said.
“I think they played the conditions a lot better than we did.”
Now minor premier East Geelong, who has lost just three games for the season, two of those in a row, need to knock off either Werribee Centrals or Thomson next week for a chance to meet the Lions again.
The Eagles may welcome back Ryan Bartel (hamstring) and Caleb Lowndes (illness).
Aulsebrook said the mission hasn’t changed from Saturday morning: win two games, and the premiership is theirs.
“We earnt the second chance and we got thrown a curveball with the conditions and didn’t adapt as well as Belmont, so that means we get to use the second chance,” Aulsebrook said.
“So absolutely we can still win this thing, and I sort of spoke to the boys about experiences I’ve had where I’ve won second semis and then lost the grand final and lost second semis and won the grand final and there were three or four blokes in the room who have done a similar thing.
“That is not to say that it’ll happen, but it means if we play our best footy – which we weren’t allowed to (on Saturday) - we can absolutely win two games.”
Meanwhile, the fairytale story of the GDFNL rolls on.
From 6 wins, 12 losses and a ninth placed finish, Belmont Lions are now hot favourites to claim their second flag.
EAST GEELONG 4.5 4.6 5.7 5.7 (37)
BELMONT LIONS 1.1 3.5 3.6 8.9 (57)
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Originally published as Belmont Lions into GDFNL grand final as star David Allitt leads his side to comeback upset over East Geelong
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