By Ken Moore
THE finals series starts this week with two elimination finals that could go either way.
The thirdplaced Longwarry will meet the sixthplaced Ellinbank in a rematch of last season’s elimination final, in which Ellinbank prevailed.
Both teams are notoriously slow starters and strong finishers, so the team that gets the better start may steal the match.
After its round12 loss to Catani, Longwarry did plenty of soulsearching and, aside from a respectable away loss to Nyora in round 16, it has comfortably accounted for all comers.
Ellinbank has been a little harder to follow, given its mixed form over the past month.
Longwarry has a workmanlike approach and the likes of its coach Scott McQualter, Brent Norton, Grant and Leigh McDonald are types who run in a straight line and this should stand the Crows in good stead.
The Crows’ midseason revival appears to have coincided with the introduction of ruckman Mick Bourke, who has provided the Crow midfielders with plenty of feed.
Furthermore, the arrival of Travis Proctor in recent weeks has freed Scott McQualter to play a key position and this tactic paid dividends last week when McQualter scored four goals up forward.
Key forward Glen Browney has been in redhot form of late and with crumbers Luke Serong, Paul Williams, Matt Campbell and Mark Light all in form the Crows appear to have the potency to kick a winning score.
On the downside key defender Ken Towt and speedy wingman Blair Weller both sustained heavy knocks last week and may be doubtful.
Ellinbank will welcome back Bill Harvey and, with Jason Harwood in good form, the Bankers have the ability to blow the Crows away if they play at their optimum level.
The key to the match will be the midfield battle.
As good as the Ellinbank forward line is, it will be starved of opportunities if it cannot win the ball out of the centre.
David King will be up against a threepronged Longwarry ruck division that will try to wear the athletic big man down as the game progresses.
Another factor out of the control of either side is the availability of Longwarry’s Tye Holland and Ellinbank’s Tom Johnson, who are both in the hands of Gippsland Power selectors.
Over the past month Longwarry has shown ability to dig deep when it counts and I’ll pick the Crows to just pip Ellinbank.
Kooweerup’s enters its elimination final against Buln Buln with its confidence a little shaky after two consecutive losses.
The Demons also have injury concerns over captaincoach Peter Bastinac, ruckman Adam Bertuna and midfielder Che Jenkins, who all missed last week.
To add to the Demons’ woes, there are plenty of doubtful starters who pulled up the worse for wear after their loss to Bunyip last week.
Kooweerup has plenty of maturity and many of its recruits this season have played finals football elsewhere, so the occasion should not deter them.
If Kooweerup can rediscover its best form it will win because it possesses far greater firepower, but this is a big if.
Buln Buln has to be admired as it scraps every inch of the way and all opponents know they are in for a fight.
Captaincoach Brent Eastwell leads the way and there are willing helpers such as Brent Lewein and Anthony Baker and young dynamos Luke Nobelius and Tim Milner, who add a bit of speed and a miserly defence.
The Lyrebirds are a hard nut to crack and on sheer consistency I’ll back them to be around in the second week of the finals.
Elimination final 2 – Saturday, 20 August at Buln Buln
(3rd v 6th)
LONGWARRY v Ellinbank
Elimination final 1 – Sunday, 21 August at Poowong
(4th v 5th)
Kooweerup v BULN BULN
