Brookers still in finals race

AFTER losing to UpweyTecoma last week many feared Gembrook might bow out of the finals in straight games.
However the team stood up to assure a place in the Yarra Valley and Mountain District Football League preliminary final against Healesville next week at Warburton.
Hardball gets and hard running were a feature of the Brookers’ intensity in the first half.
There was hardly a player who didn’t contribute to the great team victory led by Phil Muratore, Jarrod Scott, Aaron Cameron and Michael Allen, winning the stoppages in the centresquare and around the ground.
Todd Pye, Alex Scheuddekopf, Nathan Laversha and Andrew Walker caused the Belgrave back line a lot of grief.
Dailan Ellis and Ricky Causer dominated their respective wings, while down back Grainger Hartridge, Ben Chadwick, Matt Townsend and James Hampton were difficult to pass.
John Shipp blocked the hotspot with his tagger, making it difficult for Belgrave to win clean possession in their forward line.
In the last term the Brookers dominated possession and ran away with a convincing win
Score: Gembrook Cockatoo 12.6.78 d Belgrave 5.9.39.
Best: Jarrod Scott, Matt Townsend, Michael Allen, Aaron Cameron, Nathan Laversha.