Doveton will enter finals devoid of momentum after suffering a 20-point loss to Caulfield on the Bears’ skinny home deck.
The Doves raced out of the blocks, piling on six straight goals in the first quarter to have a 17-point lead at the first change.
But from there, it was all Caulfield.
The Doves managed just one goal in the last three quarters with the win not only giving Caulfield four points, but also a mental edge if the sides play each other in finals.
Part of the reason the Doves fell away was because they were down to two on the bench from the first break – Dylan Bowman and Luke Daidone both went off, but both are expected to play this weekend.
“It was a good tune up before finals,” player-coach Michael Cardamone said.
“We started really well but they play their ground well and clogged us in.
“They made us go wide and they went down the guts.”
Doveton play Keysborough in the qualifying final, with the midfield battle taking on extra significance given Keysborough’s strong forward line.
Forwards Matthew Carnelley (53 goals) and Tom Shaw (50 goals) need to be nullified and their supply limited.
Carnelley enters the game in hot form, having kicked six against Highett on the weekend, and 16 in the last three weeks.
He has kicked two goals in each of his matches against Doveton.
Shaw, meanwhile, kicked one goal on the weekend and has kicked one goal and three goals in his clashes with Doveton.
In their first clash, Doveton won by 30 points, before the Burra got over the top of the Doves by five points in the return clash.
“We’re definitely expecting a tough contested game of football so it is going to be a cracking game,” Cardamone said.
Meanwhile, it would also have been a flat Saturday night for the Hampton Park footy club.
The Redbacks had the bye this week, but four wins in the last five games of the season looked set to get them a finals berth – they just needed top-placed Chelsea Heights to defeat East Brighton.
It was close for much of the afternoon, but with their season to play for in the final quarter, the Vampires got it done, kicking four goals to two, meaning they will sneak ahead of Nathan Wilson’s men.
Chelsea Heights will still finish on top, giving it the week off.
Caulfield and East Brighton play each other in the elimination final.
FINAL DIVISION TWO 2022 LADDER: Chelsea Heights 56, Doveton 52, Keysborough 48, Caulfield 44, East Brighton 30, Hampton Park 30, Highett 20, Skye 8, Heatherton 0.
