By Marcus Uhe
Noble Park’s premiership defence is over after the Bulls failed to qualify for the Eastern Football Netball League’s 2023 finals campaign.
Tied in sixth position with Blackburn heading into the final week of the season, the Bulls’ loss to Balwyn was compounded by Blackburn’s upset win over East Ringwood, seeing the Panthers vault Steve Hughes side and claim sixth place, to face Balwyn in an elimination final.
It’s a result that is sure to send shock-waves throughout the league, with the Bulls having held a place in the top six for much of the season as an established powerhouse of the competition.
The Bulls led at every interval in Saturday’s clash against an opponent chasing a slim chance of snatching a top-two spot and earning the right to sit-out the first week of the finals series.
But a five-goal-to-one final quarter from the Tigers ultimately put the final nail in the coffin for Noble Park’s season at Pat Wright Senior Oval, the final score reading 6.9 45 to 9.11 65.
Tristan Van Driel was the hero for Balwyn, kicking three in the final term as one of the key drivers in the comeback.
He put the Tigers ahead after just three minutes, their first lead since the opening minutes when the visitors kicked the first goal of the afternoon.
A scramble at a stoppage deep in Balwyn’s forward line resulted in his second from the top of the goal square as the margin grew to eight points.
A Tom Bower miss in the Noble Park forward line was then spring-boarded the length of the ground for Jack Tillig to convert, sneaking out the back of the Bulls’ unsuccessful forward press as the deepest forward.
Ben Marson provided an immediate reply for the Bulls on a rare forward 50 entry for Noble Park to keep their fight alive, but Van Driel responded shortly after to restore the 14-point buffer.
The Bulls fought to the bitter end, but sometimes its just not your day.
A stoppage at half-forward for Balwyn led to a Callum Bradley snap from hard against the boundary, that somehow navigated its way through the big sticks despite the pressure from Bodey Lambert and Anthony Marson on the kick.
Watching it sail over his head was Dean Jones, who braced against the goalpost with his head in his hands, knowing that the kick ultimately sealed his side’s fate.
The siren sounded just minutes later, leaving the fate of the Bulls to the result over at Blackburn’s Morton Park East Oval.
The Panthers were equal to the task, pulling off a shock upset of East Ringwood at home.
The hosts were considerably more accurate than their visitors, kicking 13.5 (83) to East Ringwood’s 7.15 (57), and ultimately snatching the opportunity the Bulls provided.
The results mean the Bulls will miss finals for the time since 2019, having tasted the ultimate success in 2022.
Marson, Lachlan McDonnell and Jackson Sketcher each kicked two for the Bulls, with Bodey Lambert, Chris Horton-Milne and Kevin Kean among their best players.
