MARCUS: Lads, we’re back for another week of Let’s Talk Sport. But before we get in to the action, let’s go back to Friday last week, and Dave, I just wanted to check how your shoulder’s feeling after the Gazette scooped three trophies at the AFL Media Awards, including your story on the Tooradin football premiership?
DAVE: The shoulder’s good, probably would been worse if there were more beers that were provided. But it was a great result. I think out of every media organisation that was invited, we were the only ones to get up on the podium three times to get the trophy. So I think it was a really good reward for all the hard work that we, and the local community, put into our footy coverage. And what about the highlight of the gift pack we got?
MARCUS: The new Sherrin was such a surprise. It’s got that new footy smell to it and it feels good in the hands. There was a stubby holder as well.
DAVE: A bottle of red wine, a stubby holder, a new ‘Tommy’ Sherrin, and a 2023 Season Guide. So well done, boys, it was a good day and good to be amongst it with other people from the media.
LEADERS
MARCUS: Let’s get in to the action. Dave, you had the last round of matches in CCCA, and Jonty and I had finals in the DDCA. The highlight for me was definitely the Springy South v Buckley Ridges game in the first semi-final in DDCA Turf 1. It came down to the second last over, with Buckley upsetting Springvale South and it was Ben Wright, the Buckley captain, who hit a run-a-ball 41 to really steer Buckley home. It got me thinking about some of the best leadership performances or favourite leaders in sport. Jonty, who are some of the best leaders you’ve seen, or can you think of a real captain’s game?
JONTY: In terms of leaders, it’s hard to go past Mick Sweeney turning his form around in the second half of the season. He had a few starts at the beginning but wasn’t able to have the same impact as he did last season. At the halfway point of the season Cranbourne was sitting around sixth and he turned his form around with a century and three half-centuries, and it’s no coincidence that Cranbourne’s season turned-around also. Mark Cooper is another one who’s always talked about highly when you talk leadership. I know people at Beaconsfield have talked about that and he’s been really important for Tyler Clark’s form.
DAVE: In cricket, I think there’s one who’s already said he’s going to leave Cardinia after three years at the helm, and that’s Jake Prosser. He’s the most competitive man you’ll ever see, either him or Russell Lehmann from Tooradin. Before Christmas, when Prosser was bowling, someone dropped a catch or the ball was misfielded, and when the ball was thrown back to him, instead of catching the ball, he punched it and broke his hand. Then after Christmas, when that hand’s repaired, he’s facing Brad Butler, a fast bowler for Tooradin, he gets hit on the other hand, busts that hand as well. So he’s had both his hands broken, but he was back in round 14 over the last fortnight, and he made 50 and took 5/14. He is the man that could lead Cardinia to a surprise premiership.
MARCUS: Did you say he punched the ball?
DAVE: Yep.
MARCUS: Why?
DAVE: That’s a question you would have to ask Jake. But when he came to Cardinia, they had a reputation for being a talented team without much grit or determination, and he is the feistiest you could ever wish to see. So as far as leaders go, he’s completely transformed his club. Out of the last four bits of silverware up for grabs in CCCA, they’ve won three of them; two T20 titles and a second premiership. That speaks for itself.
JONTY: Anthony Brannan for Dandenong West in the home-and-away season was someone I thought of. Dandy West against Fountain Gate, the first thing to note is that they played a semi-final on the weekend and Dandy West did have that mental edge, having won both their games in the home and away season, but if it wasn’t for Brannan, they probably would have lost their most recent clash. He got a run-a-ball 68 when everyone was collapsing around him, to chase Fountain Gate’s 193. That would be the innings that I’d highlight.
MARCUS: Two weeks ago in Turf 1, North Dandenong needed to win to keep their finals hopes alive. They lost a few wickets early and were struggling against a quality Hallam Kalora Park bowling attack until Clayton McCartney stepped-in. He hit 80 off 105, and they went on to win the game, to keep themselves in the mix for finals. Speaking to their coach David Bell afterward, he said it was one of the best captain’s knocks that he’s ever seen. Outside of our South East region, as an Essendon supporter I’ll never forget Jobe Watson against West Coast in 2013. He had 29 touches and two goals in the week that he said he believed that he was given AOD-9604. The West Coast crowd were giving it to him over in Perth and it was pretty hard to watch, but there was absolutely no way he was going to let them lose. Two crucial goals in the second half, and I can’t watch those highlights without getting emotional.
DAVE: I can nearly see tears running down your eyes, mate! A quick one on leadership, this year Dale Tormey from Pakenham, if you talk about a great game that someone’s played; I think it’s the whole season for him. I think he’s going to win the league medal and his season from a performance perspective is what stands-out. In footy, go back to 2014 Grand Final with Beaconsfield, a bloke called Daniel Mislicki kicked five goals from the midfield to defeat Cranbourne, who were favourites that day. It’s probably the best local performance I’ve seen from a captain on a football field.
FINALS FORMATS
MARCUS: We’ll come back to cricket now and talk finals structure. In Turf 1 in DDCA, first plays second for a spot directly into the grand final with a double chance for the loser, while three plays four in a knockout. Then there’s a prelim for a spot in the grand final. Jonty, correct me if I’m wrong, but I think yours are the same, but Dave’s is different.
JONTY: That’s wrong! We have one play four and two play three…winners straight through to the granny.
MARCUS: You learn something new every day! Dave, yours is the same?
DAVE: Yep. CCCA play seven one-day games and seven two-day games then come finals it’s all knockout in the two-day format. My thoughts are, you play half the season as one-day games and half as two-day games, so why just two day games in the finals? I’ve run this past Pakenham skipper Dale Tormey and he does not agree with me, he thinks it should stay as is. But I think the top two teams in the competition deserve a double-chance, and because we don’t recognise one-day cricket in the finals, I think we can combine both. I think for week one of the finals, you play one-day cricket Saturday and Sunday. On semi-final Saturday it’s one against two, with the winner progressing straight to the grand final, and three plays four to stay alive. Then on semi-final Sunday, the winner of three-four plays the loser of one-two to progress to the grand final the following week. That way, you’ve accommodated the one-day format with your finals series, and you’ve given the top two teams a double chance.
JONTY: I think that has merit to make sure that the shorter format players are recognised. The only thing I’d add on to that is the importance of recognising the top team. Dave, are your finals played at a neutral venue?
DAVE: No, they’re played at the home club of who finishes higher. Pakenham (1) will play Cardinia (4) at Pakenham, and Tooradin (2) play Kooweerup (3) at Tooradin.
JONTY: That’s not the case for me. First and second get to host the semis, but the grand final is held at a neutral venue. So I look at a team like Dandenong West who had one loss in the home and away season, and they could have lost to Fountain Gate on the weekend. Had they lost, it would have seemed a little unjust given their ascendency. I do think there needs to be that format that exists in Turf 1 and have that bleed in to Turf 2 and 3 as well.
DAVE: Marcus, for you, one thing I’d be really looking forward to is; the DDCA have the Turf 1 grand final as a stand-alone, a part from all other games, don’t they? I think that’s a great idea.
MARCUS: It’s going to be a big day at Arch Brown Reserve. I think in Turf 1 you’ve almost got the perfect structure, because you reward the top two teams by giving them the double chance, which came to the fore with Springvale South going down on Saturday. And you get the tightest matchups on the ladder. Sometimes with one against four you can get something lopsided, but with first v second and third v fourth, you get the closest matchups and cut-throat intensity in one game.
DAVE: Tormey’s opinion was he would rather take the chance of winning a proper game of cricket over 80 overs, testing his strengths against the opposition’s in the longer form of the game. He would rather take the risk of not getting a double chance than play two one-day games in the first week of finals. Good on him, he’s prepared to back his team in.
TURF 2 AND 3 GRAND FINAL PREVIEWS
MARCUS: Jonty, the floor is yours. You’ve got two grand finals to look forward to this weekend, so give us 30 seconds on each of those, please.
JONTY: Turf 2 will be Cranbourne against Beaconsfield at Parkfield Reserve. I think they’ve been the two standout teams post-Christmas. It’ll be interesting to see if Harsaroup Singh gets up for Cranbourne, because he adds a lot of balance to their line-up with both bat and ball. From Beaconsfield, the middle order really showed they were able to stand-up in a final, because their openers only got 33 between them and they were still able to put 231 on the board. I think it’ll be a tight match that could go either way. I’ll go for Beaconsfield, just. Dandy West v Coomoora, Coomoora’s strong batting line-up is going to have to find a way to see off Nuwan Kulasekara. If they can do that, they might be able to win, but Dandy West won both their matches so far in the regular season, and their depth is exceptional. Shaun Weir, for example, won their batting average last season and is probably their fifth leading run-scorer this season. I’ll go with them.
DAVE: Boys, it sounds like we’re in for a massive fortnight. Even though it’s one against four and two against three, my two semi-finals could easily go either way. We’re in for something special.
MARCUS: And you’ll be able to read all about the finals action in next week’s Gazette!
