By Brad Kingsbury
NARRE Warren scored a comprehensive 61-point qualifying final victory over third placed Keysborough at Berwick on Sunday, confining the Burra to a cut-throat first semi-final showdown with Hampton Park this Saturday.
The Magpies won in almost every aspect of the game and had they kicked straight in the first half, the contest would have been over earlier.
Keysborough was kept in the game by the efforts of star on-baller Shaun Daly and key forward Tyson King who made the most of the limited opportunities in attack.
King and full forward Luke McGuinness were the only real options in attack, with Matthew Freeman well held by Michael McGill, and the difference in options was evident early in the match with Magpie midfielders Brad Scalzo, Nick Scanlon and Ricky Clark contributing important goals in the first quarter.
The reigning premiers settled into their work quickly and shot out to a 19-point lead at the first change, dominating general play around the ground.
Burra coach Greg Siwes asked his players to lift the pressure on their opponents at the break and they responded in the second quarter, forcing the Magpies into a number of uncharacteristic disposal errors and reducing the advantage to 16 points at the main break.
The third quarter saw Keysborough hang tough and answer every challenge thrown at them by their highly rated opponent until deep into time-on.
Narre Warren had threatened to take charge for 25 minutes but led by only eight points at the 25-minute mark, before goals to Scanlon, Ryan Stanes and Lee Clark in a space of four minutes, saw the Magpies’ lead extended to 31 points at the final change and the result all but inked in.
The Keysborough players had given their all and the final term was all Narre Warren as wave after wave of run broke through the Burra defence, assisted by some ordinary umpiring decisions, contributing to five unanswered goals in 20 minutes that blew the margin out to more than 10 goals.
Siwes lamented several lapses of concentration and intensity and said that, against the top sides, that would always hurt.
“The last five minutes of the third quarter, we were within eight points and they won the ball out of the middle and got three quick goals. That was it,” he said.
“We spoke about it during the week-we had to be mentally strong for the whole 25 to 29 minutes.
“It blew out to five goals at three-quarter time and we were really chasing after that.”
He added that a key difference was that Narre Warren’s midfield contributed goals and the Burra’s didn’t.
“I thought we matched them out of the middle with Daly and King and I also thought Gayfer beat Scanlon, but he kicked a couple (of goals) and Scalzo kicked a couple and our wingmen don’t kick any and that’s the difference,” he said.
HAMPTON PARK caused an upset in the elimination final, defeating favourites DOVETON by 18 points and advancing to next weekend’s first semi-final.
Redback spearhead Kevin McLean booted six goals in a superb game while David Biagi ignited the crowd with three stunning majors.
The defeat marked the last game of Doves coach Tom Hallinan who retired after a career that started in 1992 and numbered close to 300 games with several clubs.
Round 18 results were Pakenham over Devon Meadows by 52 points, Doveton over Tooradin by 66 points, ROC over Berwick by 13 points and Narre Warren over Cranbourne by 53 points.
Finals week 2: first semi-final at Pakenham on Saturday-Hampton Park v Keysborough, second-semi-final at Berwick on Sunday-Narre Warren v Pakenham.
