The East Coast Eagles have taken another step forward on its quest for history. In the battle of the birds it was the East Coast Eagles who proved too good for the St George Crows. Now the Eagles are only one victory away from a shot at history and a place in the Grand Final.
The Eagles dominated the first quarter but could not back up the weight of possession with scoreboard pressure and only led by five points at the first change. Things improved in the second quarter and the Eagles continued to control the football but this time they also put the score on the board. The Eagles kicked five goals to one and at the main break they led by 32 points. Damien Bowles was in everything in the first half and things were being set up by talented ruckman Ed Wilson.
A lapse in pressure around the contest and ability to convert chances helped the Crows back to a 17-point deficit at three-quarter-time. Both teams had eight scoring shots for the quarter but the Crows kicked five goals to two.
With the season on the line for both teams it was time to stand up and it was the Eagles that did. Gus Seebeck kicked four for the quarter (six for the game) and led the way for the Eagles. Gus was ably supported by Aaron Byerlee with six majors as well. Rowan Bilkey and Ben Physick were fantastic down back and Jon Vlatko was prominent throughout the second half. The Eagles dominated the last quarter and kicked nine goals to one.
The final scoreboard read East Coast 18.12 (120) to St George 8.7 (55). The Eagles now look towards UNSW/ES and the Preliminary Final knowing that one more victory will give them a shot at history in the making.
The Eagles reserves will look to create their own history after playing themselves into their fourth consecutive Grand Final. They are looking for a hat trick of premierships and if they produce the dominant display they put up on the weekend they will prove very hard to beat.
In conditions suited for ducks and not much else it was jut which side would slog it out the best. You had to be prepared to put your head over the ball and your body on the line in the cold, wet and windy conditions. It was the Eagles who led the way in all aspects of the game. They worked in groups and got the ball moving forward at all costs. They worked hard defensively and this ensured every possession for Pennant Hills they were under pressure.
The Eagles ran out winners by 5.12 (42) to 3.3 (21). The dominance by the Eagles was reflected by the fact they had 17 scoring shots to 6 in conditions not suited to high scoring.
Cory Durie, James Mann and Ryan Fitton revelled in the wet conditions and they were backed up with fine big man contributions from Jared Patira and Steve O’Connor. Coach Jason Duss could not be happier with the team and it has improved each game in the lead up to the finals and will look forward to even more improvement come Grand Final day.
The reserves will now sit out next week and set themselves for the last game in September and a crack at the hat trick.
The Under 18’s did not adjust to the conditions at they should have. They tried to hand ball too often and did not play direct football in atrocious conditions but were never out of the game. The final score reflected the state of the day and they went down to the North Shore Bombers by 14 points, 2.14 (26) to 1.6 (12).
David Clinch, James Collis and Martin Karafilis were three players who obviously liked to play in the mud and this showed in their performances on the weekend.
They can learn from the experience and will look forward to hopefully having another crack at North Shore in the Grand Final. Pennant Hills stand in their way and hopefully it will be as good a game as the last time they met and the Eagles will look at getting the same result.
So after week two of the finals the Eagles have one team already in the Grand Final and two others playing for a spot in the Grand Final and looking to join the reserves on the last day of football in September.
Week three of the finals looks this way:
Seniors
Sunday September 14
2.20pm at Henson Park
Preliminary Final
East Coast v UNSW/ES
Reserves
Already in the Grand Final on Saturday September 20.
Under 18
Sunday September 14
9.45am at Henson Park
Preliminary Final
East Coast v Pennant Hills
