Right: Hampton Park youngster Sean Winsall has been a star for the Redbacks this year.By Brad Kingsbury
PAKENHAM and Hampton Park will meet this Sunday in what promises to be a fast, open and attacking exhibition of freeflowing football dominated by the youth of the future.
Sure, both coaches will be super keen to win the elimination final and keep their season going for another week or two or even three, but neither is likely to sacrifice the game that has got them to the 2005 finals by trying to blanket the other.
And why should they?
The Lions are flush with talented youngsters like Luke Walker, Karl Russo, Corey Lenders and Dimitri Dimakopoulos, with triedandtrue stars including Glen Wouters, Travis Murphy, Lincoln Withers, Nathan Brown and coach Michael Holland in support.
That spells excitement in anyone’s book.
“We’ve always raised our game when it comes to finals and hopefully the younger guys can do that this weekend and continue it in the next few weeks,” Holland said.
“We did beat them a couple of weeks ago, but they’ll have a different lineup and we’ll probably have a few different players too, so that will be a challenge.”
The excitement at the Redbacks’ nest is palpable at making the finals.
Let’s face it, nobody really gave the Redbacks a chance of figuring in the finals at the start of the year and more than one Hampton Park member has gleefully changed holiday plans for this week.
Coach Jason Chapple has openly stated that he will allow his young charges, led by Brett Armitage, Daniel Stevenson, Sean Winsall, Dean Jamieson, Sean Nunan and Glen Rees, to attack and see what happens.
“Every other side in the finals is expected to perform and for us it’s a bonus to be playing finals footy,” he said.
“I’ll be approaching it with gay abandon just let the kids play and enjoy the week. If it happens to be two weeks, three weeks or whatever, we’ll just enjoy the experience. It’s exciting for the club.”
It is a pity there has to be a loser in this one, but Pakenham’s superior experience under finals pressure might just give it the edge.
