Who gets eliminated from Mid Gippsland fight?

THE 2022 Mid-Gippsland Football Netball League season which promised plenty has delivered more than expected and in so doing, has laid the foundation for perhaps the most anticipated finals campaign in the league’s recent history.

With the final six sides only decided in the last minutes of the home and away season, there still remains no clarity as to just which side is best placed for an assault on the premiership.

Here’s MGFNL Publicity Officer Rob Popplestone’s assessment of the first week of the Mid-Gippsland finals:

Foster v Yinnar at Meeniyan on Saturday

Foster has been quietly going about their business and their planning for a finals assault for better than eight weeks. On the other hand, Yinnar were only confident of their final’s position two minutes prior to the conclusion of their Round 18 win over Morwell East, just a few days ago.

The contrasting build-up to the first week of finals counts for little, as both teams now launch their finals campaign from the same platform.

Foster is coming off some impressive football against another finals’ contender in Hill End just last week.

Sam Davies, Foster Coach: “Our first three quarters defensively were some of our best this year and gives us a great amount of confidence going into finals. Yinnar look like they’re back at full strength and are playing high quality footy. Finals are a test and we will have to play four quarters of disciplined footy to keep winning.”

The Magpies have some big bodies and experienced heads around the ball and the conditions of last week probably favoured them as they achieved what looked for so long to have avoided them, and that was a position in the league’s top six.

Now that Yinnar have their opportunity, the coach and players alike have no plans to be shooting stars, but rather a team that plays deep into the finals.

Daniel Taylor Yinnar coach: “The Elimination Final this Saturday against Foster is obviously a massive game. They got us early in the year, in a close one, but both lists have changed a bit since then, so it will be an interesting battle. I'm confident we'll be ready and up for the fight.”

You would be a brave man to be able to confidently pick a clear winner in any of the finals given the closeness of the competition throughout the year, and as impressive as the standard has been, somehow players and coaches will be searching, maybe demanding that their best get better, as that is likely to be what it will take to be alive a week after this.

Boolarra v Hill End at Thorpdale on Sunday

As good as both of these two teams have been this season, it will almost be an injustice that we will lose one of them this weekend in their Elimination Final to be played this Sunday at Thorpdale.

Boolarra, under coach Tony Giardina, have shown rapid improvement in just 12 months, on the back of some savvy recruiting and fierce coaching that has had the Demons serving it up to the very best teams in the competition.

Their last month, however, had cast some doubt over whether the long and demanding season had started to catch up with them after some less than acceptable performances. That was before they bounced back with a confidence building win just last week.

Tony Giardina, Boolarra coach: “It’s good to be on the winners’ list again. It’s a big final’s game for us this week as we haven’t played finals in a while so boys are looking forward in playing Hill End who have experienced finals the last few years.”

It is true, in fact, that the Rovers have been toward the top of the table over the past few seasons, a grand final loss just two years ago, was backed up by an impressive season that saw the Hillsmen claim the minor premiership in 2021, before they and the league were stopped in their tracks by COVID.

The question now is, has their small window, that each team has to claim the ultimate success, closed or is there still a small opportunity to go all the way?

Mike Santo, Hill End coach: "We are really happy to be in the finals and we’re look forward to bringing our best footy next week versus Boolarra."

Hill End will need their best footy too, and not just their best here and there, but for four full quarters, and that seems to be the only knock on the Rovers at the moment.

With wet and windy conditions predicted in the weeks ahead, game styles might need some subtle changes as will team selections, but that said the weather presenters have been wrong before and we hope they might be off the mark on this occasion too, so that the best teams in the league can showcase their strengths and skills.

The following week

Tarwin versus Newborough at Fish Creek on Saturday, August 27 and the winners of the two Elimination Finals will play at Newborough on Sunday, August 28.