SFL grand finals live stream: Huonville Lions takes on Cygnet in highlight of massive day of action

The Port are the toast of the Huon Valley after producing a comeback for the ages to stun Huonville Lions and win their second SFL title in three years. Re-live the action from a big day.

It will be remembered as one of the all-time grand final comebacks, with Cygnet ending the Huonville Lions undefeated run to be crowned SFL senior premiers for 2023 on Saturday at North Hobart Oval.

In a game that had to be seen to be believed, the Port turned around a 31-point quarter time deficit with a second-half performance that is sure to go down in both club and competition folklore and be spoken about for years to come.

The ultimate underdogs kicked 10 goals to one in the final two quarters to win the game 14.14 (98) to 9.8 (62) – a 67-point turnaround.

Cygnet playing coach Thor Boscott was named the Gorringe-Martin medalist, with his influence across the entire contest, especially the third-quarter when skipper Lachlan Watt went down with a broken collarbone, a standout.

Cygnet’s Elijah Cowen and Brady Jones from the Lions. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

Cygnet’s Jack Tammens gets a hurried kick away. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

Thor Boscott was the star of the show. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

Sharks strike in game that matters most

It was a case of fourth time lucky as Dodges Ferry comfortably saw off the challenge of arch rivals Cygnet to win the SFL Reserves title on Saturday.

The Sharks have been the form team all season, yet their one drawback had been an inability to get a win over Cygnet.

A round six draw was followed by a 13-point loss in round 15 and a 10-point setback in the first week of the finals.

But they saved their best until last with a 45-pont victory in the decider at North Hobart Oval.

Cygnet vs Dodges Ferry (Reserves)

The 10.5 (65) to 3.2 (20) victory was built on the back of a dynamic first term when Dodges Ferry kicked 20 unanswered points.

They even added another goal early in the second term before Cygnet finally got on the scoreboard.

The halftime margin was out to 26 points.

Cygnet kicked their third goal early in the third term but only added one more behind for the rest of the match.

Voss stars as Lions kick off big day in style

A stellar performance from Huonville midfielder Sam Voss has delivered the Lions its first premiership on SFL grand finals day.

Voss was easily judged best on ground in the SFL Colts decider after leading the Lions to a 8.7 (55) to 2.9 (21) victory over Lindisfarne two blues.

Voss racked up touch after touch through the midfield, cutting off Two Blues raids at every stop, but it was his work up front that made the most difference.

The young gun booted home four majors for the Lions while Brock Jacobson added two of his own.

The Lions led from the outset and never looked like being caught by their rivals.

The Two Blues fought valiantly across all four quarters, but failed to make in-roads into a rock solid Lions defence led by the flowing locks of crowd favourite Patty Lovekin.

It caps off a brilliant season for the Huonville side who finished with the minor premiership after only dropping two games across the regular rounds.

Preview: Kings of the Huon to be decided in grand final

It’s certainly a mouth-watering main course on SFL grand final day, where much more than a premiership crown is up for grabs.

The undefeated Huonville Lions take on Cygnet in a much-anticipated Seniors decider at North Hobart Oval on Saturday. Title glory is one thing, revealing the real kings of the Huon Valley is certainly another.

While the Lions have comfortably won both games this season, Cygnet come into the match with some formidable recent grand final experience.

It’s their fourth straight decider, third against their great rivals and second straight against a side who didn’t suffer a loss all season.

You can catch three grand finals LIVE on KommunityTV, starting with the Colts at 9.30am. Main game kicks off at 2.30pm. See the schedule below for full details.

Finishing on top of the ladder with a 14-0 record and an out-of-this-world percentage, the Lions enjoyed a week off after defeating the Port in the qualifying final two weeks ago.

While that means they may have only played one game in 35 days, after also drawing a final round bye, Lions captain Rhys Ward was confident that match fitness wouldn’t be a factor in the result.

“It’s been a long couple of weeks waiting for it to come around, but really excited it’s here,” Ward said.

Rhys Ward and Thor Boscott are ready for another Huon Valley battle.

“It’s not something you are typically used to, but we had a bit of a sneak peek at it with some extra byes this season. We have kept training hard with some extra training sessions on weekends.”

Ward revealed finishing the season unbeaten was a challenge they have happily accepted.

“You have to go in confident, but they (Cygnet) will be the same,” Ward said.

“I feel like it does add a little bit of pressure to you. but you can take it how you want. It’s obviously a good tag to go in with.

“Being undefeated is not something we speak about though. Our focus is on tomorrow (Saturday)”.

Cygnet are also full of confidence after their commanding preliminary final win over Dodges Ferry last weekend.

The Port went down to the Lions in 2020 decider before turning the tables 12 months later against the same opposition. Last year they went down by 12 points to Lindisfarne.

The six captains involved on grand final day. Pic: Nikki Davis-Jones.

And while some may try and park the memories of such a close loss 12 months ago, Cygnet playing coach Thor Boscott isn’t one of them.

“Losing last year to another undefeated team definitely brings more motivation to Saturday,” Boscott said.

“Just really try to calm the nerves though, enjoy the day and the build-up.”

In the other grand finals, Dodges Ferry and Cygnet face off in the reserves clash while Lindisfarne will aim to go back-to-back against Huonville in the Colts at 9:30am.