: You can’t keep the big man down… Cranbourne captain Marc Holt marks over Narre Warren defender Kain Baskaya in this year’s second semi final. How Baskaya handles a fully fit Holt in Saturday’s grand final is the key factor in who takes home the premiership cup. Picture: STEWART CHAMBERS
By DAVID NAGEL
HOW fitting in an Olympic year that Berwick’s Edwin Flack Reserve, named after Australia’s first Olympic champion, will host the 2012 Casey Cardinia Football League grand final on Saturday.
Fitting, because the two combatants, Narre Warren and Cranbourne, have taken the Olympic motto of Citius-Altius-Fortius – Faster-Higher-Stronger – quite literally. They have turned this year’s premiership race into a thrilling two-team war.
Imagine two marathon runners, who have dropped all challenges behind, surging into the Olympic stadium for that final sprint to the line. Who wants it more? Who digs deep when the ultimate prize is up for grabs? Who has the physical and mental strength, the stamina, to outlast an opponent who just refuses to concede an inch?
There are other Olympic mottos like ‘it’s not important to win but to take part, it’s not important to conquer but to fight well.’ These two sides won’t be playing by those rules in a hurry.
Cranbourne still owes Narre Warren.
The Eagles, for all their dominance since the start of 2010, have one premiership beside their name, last year’s. It still hurts the way the 2010 season, where they were a clear premiership favourite, ended with the cup in the Magpies hands.
“We’re quite clear in the fact that we’re aspiring to be like Narre Warren,” Cranbourne coach Doug Koop said after his side’s preliminary final win over Tooradin.
“We tell our blokes all the time that they continually work and when they get to the big dance, they rarely fail. We can take another step this week to emulate what they’ve done.
“If they win, that’s five out of seven, a phenomenal effort. If we win, that’s two in a row and we take another step towards being recognised as a truly great side.”
Cranbourne’s strength, its forward line, is Koop’s biggest headache at the selection table. Marc Holt is fit and firing, and if he backs up his 11-goal haul from last week, the cup returns to Casey Fields. But what if he doesn’t, are there enough in-form forwards ready to kick a winning score?
Andrew White has struggled in recent times which could open the door for Matt Davey, who kicked four in the reserves last week, to return for the biggest game of all. He has the X-factor and can do damage with just a handful of touches. Grand final selections are the toughest call of all.
Narre Warren has tapered perfectly but would have played just one game in 27 days when it runs onto Edwin Flack this Saturday. Is that the perfect preparation or can you lose touch and match conditioning?
There are so many questions but only one way to find an answer. That’s to be there and watch names like Baskaya, Collins, Parker, Soumilas and Scanlon for the Magpies and Holt, Berry, Barker, Fletcher and Theodoridis for the Eagles put on ceremony to remember.
It’s a shame but, it’s going to end in tears for one of these great sides, a brilliant season will end with just bad memories. For the football lover, let’s just sit back and enjoy the ride.
