Launceston triumphs in war of attrition to claim back-to-back TSL flags
It took three quarters of pulsating footy before Launceston was able to shake off a dogged North Launceston and race to back-to-back TSL premierships.
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LAUNCESTON coach Mitch Thorp has set his sights on steering his club to the next TSL dynasty after the Blues captured back-to-back premierships over cross-town arch enemies North Launceston.
Thorp – who was only convinced to pick himself by leaders Jobi Harper and Jay BlackBerry earlier in the week when his brother Cody was suspended – has spruiked all season how his side is the fittest in the competition and after three quarters of war it proved the difference.
Launceston rattled on five unanswered majors in the last term to run out 12.5 (77) to 6.7 (43) victors at UTAS Stadium, finally breaking the shackles after never being headed from the moment Thorp slotted the opening major of the game.
Twice the Blues skipped 16 points clear only to be reeled back.
The first time came courtesy of two goals without the ball returning to the middle, with a Brad Cox-Goodyer kick out of mid-air from 20m in the second quarter followed by a set shot from Tom Bennett after he was flattened by Jamieson House.
In the third term, Oliver Sanders and Jack Rushton hit the scoreboard to keep North alive and the game was in the balance at the final change with the margin just three points.
North could have snatched the lead going into the last change, only for a Jay Foon kick from near point-blank range sailing across the face just before the siren.
Darrel Baldock medallist Joe Groenewegen booted the first goal of the last term 80 seconds in to give the minor premiers the breathing space they needed and the dam wall burst 15 minutes later.
Livewire forward Brendan Taylor booted three goals, Thorp, Groenewegen and Michael Musicka all slotted two, while midfield generals Harper, Fletcher Seymour and Miller Hodge helped Launceston dominate clearances to nullify Alex Lee’s win in the hit-outs.
The Bombers outfit was severely hampered by an injury to star coach Brad Cox-Goodyer, who was forced to spend the last three quarters deep in the forward line following a bicep injury.
“The boys rang me on Tuesday morning and said I had to play… when the two boys you have played the most footy with ring you and say they need you, it’s pretty hard to say no,” Thorp said of his inclusion.
“Absolutely [he had doubts], I’m 32, I haven’t played for a while but when the two boys ring at 9 o’clock and they both tell me they need me, then as a coach you just to what is best for the team.
“North Launnie were super, for three quarters it was neck and neck … the last quarter we really showed our fitness level and desperation to want to go back to back.
“They hold high standards, and you saw it when it was most needed, Hodge and Harper and Groenewegen were just running on top of the ground and Jake Smith taking a great catch, all that stuff comes because they have done the work.”
North Launceston – featuring in its eighth consecutive grand final, in a run that has yielded five flags – has set the benchmark in the league and now Thorp is hopeful his club can grab the torch.
“That’s why I have re-signed for the next couple of years, they are such a great group, we have done a lot of work together to get to this point.”
Mark Walsh was the Bombers’ best, alongside Ben Simpson.
BITTER RIVALS TO CLASH IN TSL GRAND FINAL
A RIVALRY dating back 120 years will add another chapter in the TSL grand final at UTAS Stadium on Sunday and even though Launceston and North Launceston cannot agree on who will win the flag, they can agree on one thing – they don’t like each other.
Launceston coach Mitch Thorp likens the Blues-Bombers rivalry to the often bitter onfield feud between Clarence and Lauderdale.
North Launceston coach Brad Cox-Goodyer agrees.
“Absolutely, the rivalry is pretty big. We just don’t like each other,” he said.
“It’s going to be a top-notch grand final.
“The build-up has been exciting and I don’t think anyone knows who’s going to win.
“Launceston will go in the favourite. They’ve been the best team all year.
“They try to downplay the favourite tag but it’s hard to look past the fact we’re two-all this year, but their winning margins against us have been over 100 points and ours is about 20.
“They are definitely favourite so we’ve got to work hard and bring our best for four quarters and if we don’t they will probably win.”
Blood was spilt when they clashed in last year’s grand final, a thrilling and brutal contest won by Launceston by 13 points.
“Our rivalry has been going 120 years and it is probably as strong now as it has even been,” Thorp said.
“When these two teams play, especially in finals, they are ruthless affairs, and so they should be.”
The Bombers bat deep for talent and the player Launceston will watch like a hawk is probably not who you think.
“Brandon Leary has had such a good season for an 18-year-old. He’s kicked a number of goals and we need to make sure we don’t let him access the ball as easily as he has at some points during the year. He’s not a household name yet but we really rate his forward craft,” Thorp said.
On the flip side, the Bombers will send their best defender to suppress Thorp at full-forward.
“Will Edmunds would have played on Cody [Thorp] if he wasn’t suspended, so he will go to Mitch,” Cox-Goodyer said.
“Will’s one of the best marks in the competition, he’s got great closing speed and he can read the play. He’s got all the makings of a great defender so he’s the perfect player to put on him.”
Launceston learned a valuable less when it was beaten by North in the second-semi.
“We need to be harder to play against for longer,” Thorp said.
“Last time our intensity dropped away and North hung in there long enough to stay in the game. We had our opportunities to put them away but didn’t so our intensity needs to be sustained.
“We’ve played them four times, we’ve won two and they’ve won two, so it shapes up to be a cracking game.”
BLUES CAPTAIN EYES OFF BACK-TO-BACK TITLES
LAUNCESTON’S human bulldozer Jobi Harper says the honour of winning back-to-back premierships is a driving force among the Blues as they line up to face cross-town rival North Launceston in the TSL grand final at Windsor Park on Sunday.
The Launceston captain admires North Launceston for achieving the feat, and now he wants to savour the taste of back-to-back flags.
The Bombers first did it in 2014-15, followed by a three peat in 2017-19 as the only TSL team to achieve the feat.
Launceston wants to start with consecutive titles.
“It would be huge,” Harper said.
“North Launceston has done it before – it’s hard to win one, it’s even harder to win two.
“We’ve opened the door and we’re going to give it our best shot. It would mean a lot to be able to win two in a row.”
North Launceston’s first-time captain Jay Foon already has three grand finals under his belt, for one win and two losses.
“Losing last year left a bad taste in our mouth so it would be nice to redeem ourselves this year,” Foon said.
“We’ll back our kids to play with the instinctive flair that they have – there’s no point telling them to do too much or the structures can go out the window in a grand final.
“Whoever is prepared to back themselves in and put their head over it and win the hard football will get the result.
“We’ve had the week to freshen up so we’ll be right to go with the team we had in the second-semi.”
The loss of key forward Cody Thorp (suspended) means late changes for the Blues but that does not worry Harper.
“We’ve got layers of talented players on our list who can fill any role, so I’m not too concerned about our attack,” he said.
The loss to North Launceston gave the Blues a sneak peek at what to expect in the grand final.
“We’ve taken a fair bit out of that – you take as much as you can from any loss,” Harper said.
“I’m sure North has done the same with games throughout the year – you take everything you can from every game and you look at all aspects.
“There are things we have taken from that game as well as games from earlier in the year.”
There was an air of quiet confidence at Windsor Park.
“Going into a grand final the team is pretty excited and up and about,” Harper said.
“We had a good win last week against Clarence and if you can’t get yourself up for grand final week you’re battling.
“We’ve got five or six young blokes who didn’t play in the grand final last year so they’re really excited, but we’re trying to prepare as normal.”
LAUNCESTON FORWARD LIVING ON THE EDGE IN 2022
LAUNCESTON bad boy Cody Thorp is on the brink of being de-registration as a football player and will live on the edge when he continues playing with the Blues next season.
Thorp will miss the Blues’ clash with North Launceston in the TSL grand final on Sunday after he was suspended for two matches for striking Clarence player Lachlan Borsboom in the preliminary final at Windsor Park last Sunday.
In an incident after the quarter time siren, Thorp made contact with Borsboom’s head and was charged under rough conduct as “intentional conduct, with low impact and high contact”.
Launceston coach Mitch Thorp, Cody’s older brother, said his sibling had taken responsibility for his actions and was hurting, having to watch his teammates from the sidelines.
“It was graded as low, and that’s in line with my thoughts, it was a low-level incident and he’s been given two weeks which is disappointing, but more than anything for himself,” Mitch said.
Cody has a career-total of 15 suspensions, with 16 the limit before a player is deregistered.
“He’s absolutely going to play next season and that’s something he needs to work his way through,” Mitch said.
“Footy has been really great for him. He’s come from a long way back, so we’re glad he’s playing again next year.”
Cody kicked a game-high three goals in Launceston’s preliminary final win.
“He’s had a great season. He made Team of the Year and he played really well last week,” Mitch said.
“He’s an important player to our team, but we’re fortunate to have our Development League team in the grand final as well and there’s a number of guys in there pretty hungry to play in a senior grand final.”
TSL Grand Final: One Thorp in, one Thorp out
LAUNCESTON has reluctantly accepted Cody Thorp’s two match suspension — paving the way for brother and coach Mitch to try and lead his side to back to back TSL premierships.
Cody was booked for engaging in rough conduct against Clarence’s Lachlan Borsboom in last weekend’s preliminary final victory, which has set up another blockbuster grand final against arch rivals North Launceston.
The Blues took the Match Review Office’s decision to the independent tribunal on Wednesday night, which upheld the original decision.
Speaking at a press conference on Thursday morning, Mitch said the club was weighing up the option of having one last roll of the dice and appealing the tribunal’s verdict.
However he confirmed later Thursday afternoon it would accept the ban.
Launceston has confirmed just the one change, with Mitch — who has played just three matches in 2021 — coming into the 22.
“I am not across it at the moment, Cody’s lawyer is involved in the situation, they are chatting about it today, I have distanced myself from it,” Mitch said.
“There are 21 other players I need to worry about as well.
“Cody has had a great year, has made team of the year, played really well last week.
“He’s disappointed, he has invested a fair bit into the season. I was disappointed, as was Jobi [Harper], as were the rest of the leaders.”
The Blues have not ruled out swinging a late change prior to Sunday’s first bounce at UTAS Stadium, and have the luxury of having its development league side also featuring in the grand final.
Luckless ruckman Hamish Leedham, forward Brayden Pitcher and James Dowling have all be listed as emergencies.
Mitch declared himself 100 per cent fit to see out the contest, despite his lack of football this year and having not played since round 16 against the Tigers.
“Hamish has had a strong season, played more senior footy this year than he did last year, we are fortunate we have senior players we can call on if need be.
“We will only pick a side that is healthy and across how we want to execute Sunday’s game.
“We probably made that error in the first final to be honest, we probably played two guys who have had reasonably good years who have missed a little bit of footy that weren’t quite ready to go.
“Brayden Pitcher kicked six goals in a game this year against North Launceston, there are some decisions we do need to make, legitimate, very tough conversations we are going to have with either people coming in or people going out.”
North Launceston is unchanged from the side which shocked the Blues at Windsor Park in the first week of finals.
The week off gave enough time for both Ben Simpson and Fletcher Bennett to recover from concussion concerns, while Bennett has also shrugged off a knee issue.
Selected sides for TSL grand final - 2:30pm Sunday September 2021 at UTAS Stadium
North Launceston
B: C. Nankervis, W. Edmunds, B. Van Buuren
HB: R. Sanders, T. Donnelly, M. Stingel
C: J. Avent, B. Cox-Goodyer, B. Simpson
HF: N. Pearce, T. Bennett, O. Sanders
F: B. Leary, Z. Burt, J. Rushton
R: A. Lee, M. Walsh, J. Foon
Int: F. Bennett, J. Edmunds, B. Sulzberger, R. Whitney
Emg: H. Bayles, M. Cossins, H. Griffiths, L. Mitchell
In: Nil
Out: Nil
Launceston
B: Z. Morris, J. House, J. Woolley
HB: J. Boyd, A. Wright, J. Tuthill
C: C. Brown, J. Harper, J. Smith
HF: M. Musicka, J. Burling, B. Taylor
F: J. Blackberry, M. Thorp, J. Hinds
R: J. Groenewegen, F. Seymour, M. Hodge
Int: J. Donnellan, B. Gillow, J. Hinds, B. Palfreyman
Emg: J. Dowling, G. Holt, H. Leedham, B. Pitcher
In: M. Thorp
Out: C. Thorp
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