Final hurrah for Demons and Lions

WITH finals off the tables for both teams, it was game of pride and bragging rights as MDU hosted arch-rivals Stony Creek at home on Saturday. 

Stony started off strong, finding big forward, Chris Verboon twice in the early stages of the quarter, but MDU weren’t going to lie down, fighting back with some strong defensive pressure along with some clean mid-field movement, with ball magnet Joel Sinclair finding plenty of touch during the day. 

The margin at quarter time saw the Creek up by 11 and trying to keep momentum going. 

With the game still in the balance, the second was a quarter was one not to write home about.

It was the battle of the mid-field against the weather and the conditions as the ball went from one end to the other, with sloppy movement and turnovers from wet weather footy. 

Kicking the ball off the ground was also the flavour to get distance, and the crowd saw plenty of it within the game. 

It took 15 minutes for the only major to be kicked for the quarter, and it saw the demons close the gap, to be trailing by 7 at the main break. 

MDU must have smelt blood in the water or had a rousing speech at half time to pump them up, because they come out with a fire and drive in the third that hadn’t been seen so far.

This led to a massive quarter, kicking three on the trot and looking like storming away, before the Creek found one of their own to steady the ship. 

With the drive in their favour, MDU headed into the final change 20-point clear. 

The last was almost a repeat of the second, with both teams fighting hard, however, this one was played in the MDU forward half. 

They had found their groove and flow within the conditions and were showing the crowd some fight and spirit at the end of the season against the old foe. They could only find the big sticks once in the quarter, but it was enough to extend the margin to 27 points as the final siren called. 

With the season now finished, and neither team making finals, it was a last hurrah for the Demons with the crowd looking on, and both teams now looking to support other teams in finals, and the next season.