Huonville ends Lindisfarne’s season – now for an all-Huon showdown to decide the SFL’s best team
The 2020 SFL grand final will be an all-Huon affair after Huonville ended Lindisfarne’s season to book a date with Cygnet next Saturday – and the tension will be high.
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IT will be the Battle of the Huon in next Saturday’s SFL grand final after Huonville stormed into the decider to have another crack at rivals Cygnet.
The Lions earned their spot with a win full of character, coming from behind at three-quarter time to defeat Lindisfarne at Huonville in the preliminary final by 19-points, 12.13 (85) to 9.12 (66) – and ending the Two Blues’ quest for a third-straight flag.
It will be the first time Cygnet and Huonville have met in a grand final since 1979 (although Cygnet did meet Franklin — the club Huonville merged with — in the last ever Huon Football Association grand final in 1997 before joining the SFL).
Huonville coach Tim Lamprill said it was going to be a massive week in the region.
“It is a huge achievement for both clubs to get into a grand final given the circumstances with COVID with player availability and retaining players and not knowing whether we were going to get off the ground at all or not,” Lamprill said.
“To have the two best sides in the comp this year going at both from the Huon region is a fantastic achievement.”
In a game of vastly swinging momentum, the Lions kicked the first three goals of the game, only for the Two Blues to respond with the next five to lead by 15 points at quarter time.
A slight breeze favoured the “Hobart” end of the ground but not to the extent of the scores as each team butchered scoring opportunities into the wind.
In the second term, big Lion Mickey Paul cut loose, booting three goals to put his side firmly in front only for the Two Blues to hold the home side goalless in the third term to take a three-point lead at the last change.
At the opening bounce of the last term, Lindisfarne star onballer Jack Gleeson was sin-binned for a crucial 15 minutes for a minor incident at a ball up – and the Lions pounced.
While Cameron Johns was unpassable at half back, Paul kicked another two goals to take his tally to six and the Lions were into the grand final again.
Lamprill said the club would celebrate the win, but from Sunday it was all about beating Cygnet after The Port upset the Lions by two points in the semi-final.
”To get into a third grand final in a row means we are doing something right,” he said.
Lindisfarne coach Michael Cassidy said his side’s mighty quest for a third-straight flag was not helped by the club making its run from fourth spot, especially as the higher side were given hosting rights instead of playing at neutral North Hobart as previous years.
“If it was at North Hobart it probably would have made it is more of a neutral ground and we play that ground well,” Cassidy said.
“But Huonville has been the side to beat for the past three years, they have got some fantastic players and they are a really good blokes off the field as well so I wish them all the best next week.”
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