Demons live to see another day

WITH no second chances from here on in, MDU entered the first of our elimination finals as warm favourites built on the back of an impressive and in the main consistent season, but also under no illusions as to the quality of their opposition in Morwell East.

The Hawks secured their position inside the league’s top six only in the dying minutes of the home and away season courtesy of Yinnar's six-point loss just a week prior, but as quick as they were in, the Hawks were out.

Inaccurate kicking proved costly, MDU 8-10-58 to Morwell East 5-20-50.

“Far out! Really proud day to be a coach,” Nathan Allen, MDU coach stated.

“From where these guys have come from over the last few years, first final in about eight years and first final win in almost 20 years! Morwell East played really well today, made us battle for anything we got. Luckily, we were able to convert in front of goal and result fell our way.”

That was in hindsight the story of the day, as each quarter passed, there was little if anything between the two sides, but the reality was that bad kicking is inevitably bad football and bad football will cut you deeper than you deserve.

The Hawks four quarters delivered one goal six behinds, two goals six behinds, three points, and finished with two goal five behinds, a total of seven more scoring shots, only to lose by eight points.

“Our game plan against MDU was to protect the short kick, force them long to a contest,” Morwell East coach Paul Henry said.

“We executed that perfectly. Scoreboard pressure was our other aim. Unfortunately, we just couldn't kick it through the big sticks. We controlled the game pretty much all day, we just didn't capitalise.

Sad way to finish the season but, as they say, bad kicking is bad football."

These opportunities are hard to come by, so it was one that got away for Morwell East, and it is one that might hurt for a while.

For MDU, they live to fight another day and that day comes this weekend in another do or die final.