By Jonty Ralphsmith
Doveton is through to the grand final of Southern Division Two after dismantling Chelsea Heights by 93 points in the second semi-final at Ben Kavanagh Reserve on Saturday.
The Doves conceded the first three goals, as the first-placed side jumped them early, but the initial wobble clicked Michael Cardamone’s men into gear.
The Doves finished the first quarter with a flurry, kicking four late goals in the quarter to take the lead into the first break.
“It was 19-0 at the 18 minute mark of the first quarter and I went up to Chappy (Dylan Chapman) in the ruck and the midfield guys and just said ‘don’t panic, stay composed, lock the game down a bit, stick to our structures and things will turn’,” Cardamone said.
“We kept bringing the heat and slowly grinded our way back into the game, and got some scoreboard pressure on, got first use inside 50 and the rest was history.
“It just took us a couple of minutes to adapt, they came out cleaner and hotter than us but then we got into our groove and took the crucial moments with us.”
There was no looking back after that, as the Doves kicked 20 of the remaining 22 goals of the afternoon, playing their brand of footy, picking apart the Chelsea Heights midfield and getting forward with ease.
Cardamone said last week after the qualifying final win over Keysborough that they played their best footy of the year, and he said this performance was “on-par” with that.
“It’s starting to click at the right time of the year,” he said.
“Chelsea Heights is a quality side, we had to be on from the get-go and we executed a three-and-a-half quarter performance.
“We changed our ball movement a little bit and kept taking the game on, sticking to what we believe in that has worked for 20 weeks.
“We know that things turn and there were passages of the game where Chelsea Heights got on top, but we just adjusted to nullify that and then go again.”
Jake Inglasio kept Bradley Gilder – who is averaging more than three goals per game – to just one major, and led the back-line’s excellent resistance of Chelsea Heights’ strong attack.
Chapman’s strength in the ruck and Jake Basa’s work in the midfield were also important, but Cardamone said it was a 22-man contribution.
Doveton will use the week off as a mental freshen-up before the grand final and will get out to support the club’s under 19’s side which will compete in their grand final this weekend.
After defeating Cranbourne by 68 points on the weekend, the 19’s, who finished second on the ladder, will play its grand final at Power Reserve, Saturday 9.15am, against top-placed Bentleigh.
In its first year in the Southern league, the club is in a strong position, with more than 20 players re-signed, including Cardamone, once again in a player-coach capacity.
Others to go around again in 2023 include Josiah Kyle, Luke Daidone, Jake Basa, Daniel Zajac, Jake Inglasio and many more.
Depth is also strong with the reserves finishing second on the ladder with a 12-3 record before getting bundled out of finals in straight sets.
“Grand finals are pretty special so I want people to enjoy the week, enjoy the moment,” Cardamone said.
“We won’t be getting ahead of ourselves because there is so much work to go, four or five training sessions, people fighting for spots, so we can’t be complacent.”
In the other Southern league final, Caulfield defeated Keysborough by 21 points. The Burra have been knocked out of finals in straight sets after finishing the home and away season in third position.
Tom Shaw kicked four goals and Matthew Carnelley one, meaning they finish the season with 57 and 52 majors respectively.
RESULTS
Chelsea Heights 5.6 36 v Doveton 20.9 129
Keysborough 7.15 57 v Caulfield 11.12 78
FIXTURE – PRELIMINARY FINAL
Chelsea Heights v Caulfield Bears, 2.10pm, Saturday 3 September at Ben Kavanagh Reserve.
