By DAVID NAGEL
WOW… what a round of football we had to close out the Casey Cardinia league home and away season on Saturday as five teams now settle down to fight for football’s ultimate prize.
The history-hunting, back-to-back champions Narre Warren will rest up this week as Cranbourne, Beaconsfield, Pakenham and Berwick open their finals campaigns, all with legitimate claims to being the Magpies’ biggest challenger for the title.
The final round action was highlighted by the 100th goal for Magpie champion Kerem Baskaya, an after the siren match winner from Tooradin’s Michael Hobbs, a famous victory to Keysborough in its last game in the CCFL, and Beaconsfield’s big win over Pakenham that secured a coveted top-three position heading into the finals.
Trailing by a straight kick at three quarter time, the Eagles rallied, booting 5.6 to 2.1 in the final term to run out 17-point winners.
When the chips were down it was Beaconsfield’s leaders who lifted, Kris Fletcher, Scott Meyer and skipper Daniel Mislicki magnificent, matched only by Pakenham defender Nathan Brown, who stopped the margin from blowing out further.
Narre Warren’s Baskaya brought up his third consecutive century in a spectacular contest against Cranbourne, who led by 17 points in the last term, before the Magpies responded with four late goals to win by 10. Baskaya kicked truly at the 14-minute mark of the first quarter to bring up the ton, and then took his tally to 333 goals in just 47 matches since joining the Magpies from Hampton Park at the end of 2011.
Michael Theodoridis kicked seven, and Marc Holt five for Cranbourne, but it was the brilliance of Col McNamara, Jackson Parker and Nick Scanlon, who was switched forward late, that got the job done for the Maggies in the perfect pipe-opener for the finals.
Hobbs gained redemption and gave Tooradin a two-point victory over ROC with his after-the-siren sealer at Westernport Oval.
Back in round 9 at Starling Road a Hobbs long-bomb – again after the siren – fell short, leaving the Kangaroos to celebrate the same margin of victory. On Saturday, in his first game back after a six-week hiatus, he played as a permanent forward and kicked seven before living out every boy’s dream. Hobbs was clearly the most influential player on the ground while his team mate Matt Wade did his Norm Walker Medal hopes no harm with another stunning display.
Keysborough has book ended its season with wins, backing up its round 1 victory over Doveton with a history-making 20-point win over Hampton Park at Rowley Allen Reserve.
The problem for the Burra is it had a 16-game losing streak in between, a period of sustained non-competitiveness that has forced the club to move to the Southern Football League next season.
Tyson King kicked six for the Burra and condemned Hampton Park to their third consecutive wooden spoon.
Berwick will enter this Sunday’s cut-throat elimination final against Pakenham in a confident mood after handing Doveton an 89-point belting at Edwin Flack.
The Wickers’ young and exciting forward line of Jordy Andrews, six goals, and Mitch Johnson, five, was once again unstoppable, fed beautifully by Luke Sheppard and Jake Yields who continued their strong recent form.
QUALIFYING FINAL PREVIEW – Saturday at Berwick
Cranbourne and Beaconsfield will square off at Edwin Flack Reserve on Saturday for the right to meet Narre Warren in the second semi-final.
Beaconsfield thrashed Cranbourne by 54 points when they last met in round 15, the middle peg of its current seven-game winning streak.
Beacy has its stars, like Scott Meyer and Daniel Mislicki, but relies heavily on an overall team contribution.
Cranbourne on the other hand has fire-power, with Marc Holt and Michael Theodoridis the best one-two combination in the league.
Cranny will trouble Beacy with its pace through the middle of the ground, with Luke Bee-Hugo and Ryan Jones in electrifying form, while its backline led by Brandon Osborne and Nick Barker seems impenetrable at times.
It’s Cranbourne to turn the tables and win by 16 points.
ELIMINATION FINAL – Sunday at ROC
The fear of failure will drive both Pakenham and Berwick when they battle for survival at Starling Road on Sunday.
At times, Berwick early in the season and Pakenham late, these two have looked genuine top-three aspirants so the loser this week will rate its season as a failure.
Berwick has a stunning array of talent up forward, but is inconsistent, while the Lions have more grunt through the midfield.
This one will come down to who wants it most, Rhys Nisbet certainly wants it for his Berwick boys, while Pakenham coach Steve O’Bryan can actually get out there and do something about it in his playing role.
The Lions have taken forward steps ever since O’Bryan took over at the end of a disastrous 2012, a loss this week would be deemed a backward step… and O’Bryan won’t let that happen.
It’s the Lions by three points.
