Michael Hobbs will join forces with Beau Miller and Matt Wade as Tooradin looks for midfield supremacy in its qualifying final preview with Cranbourne on Saturday. 85160 Picture: STEWART CHAMBERS
By DAVID NAGEL
IF TOORADIN was a golfer, its scorecard would look rather impressive this season except for one major blemish –a quadruple bogey-like 149-point loss to Cranbourne in round five at Casey Fields.
There’s been the equivalent of a couple of short missed putts along the way for the Seagulls, but that fifth-hole horror story needs to be played again.
The third-placed side gets its chance – a mulligan, a free swing if you like – when they roll the greens for the second-placed Eagles this Saturday.
Tooradin has hit the range and fine-tuned its game to the point where it firmly believes it can win a major championship come September.
The Seagulls will be ranked third for the toughest test of all but needs a solid finish this week to prove their game is in fine shape after a recent winning streak.
It won’t be easy against last year’s title holders, although they will be missing their most powerful and accurate weapon. Champion goal-kicker Marc Holt will be best man at a wedding so will miss the qualifying final preview.
Seagulls coach Tom Hallinan believes his side is primed for a big performance and will prove round five was purely an aberration.
“We’ve developed since then and we believe we can pressure the top two teams,” Hallinan said.
“We get Scotty Szucs and Adam Galea back so we’ll be at full strength and we want to prove to the football world that we’re not just there to make up the numbers.
“We’re there to have a real tilt ourselves.”
Cranbourne coach Doug Koop watched the Seagulls’ come-from-behind win against Beaconsfield last week and was impressed, in particular with their ball movement.
You can bet the Eagles will apply blowtorch-like heat and be shoulder to shoulder in the early exchanges to mentally test the home side. But Hallinan is not fazed.
“We challenge our group mentally at training. Our internal belief is that we’re doing things that no one else is doing and that’s what gets us across the line.”
There’s class on every line for both teams but the most important battle will take place inside the centre square, where some real hard nuts will lock horns.
If Beau Miller, Michael Hobbs, and Matt Wade can match it with Curtis Barker, Leigh Holt and the two Matt’s, Fletcher and Rus, then this one will be closer than most people think.
While Hallinan’s confidence is high and the reigning champs are minus their best player, the Eagles have lost one game in two years so it’s impossible to tip against them.
It’ll be two putts for par and a regulation win for the Eagles.
