Sport
28 August, 2023
Harcourt notches up 25th victory in a row with dominant third term
Make that 25 on the bounce for Harcourt, who disposed of Natte Bealiba in the first qualifying final on Saturday thanks to a blistering third quarter run. That was after a tight first half, which seemed to match the flow of the meeting these two...
Make that 25 on the bounce for Harcourt, who disposed of Natte Bealiba in the first qualifying final on Saturday thanks to a blistering third quarter run.
That was after a tight first half, which seemed to match the flow of the meeting these two clubs had last week, albeit this time on the bigger stage of Camp Reserve.
Just one goal was scored in the opening quarter, that coming to the Lions, who opened up a seven-point lead at the first break.
Natte Bealiba hit back in the second term and played some good football of their own, kicking three goals to two in the quarter to reduce the margin to just three points at the main break.
But the tide turned early in the third quarter when Tom Broadbent was yellow-carded and placed on report for a heavy bump on Joshua Hogg, which left the Swans one short on the field.
It was the turning point the Lions capitalised on, kicking seven goals in a big run to extend the margin to as much as 40 points during the term, although Natte were able to settle late in the term and kick a couple of goals of their own late in the term to keep the margin at a manageable 34 points at the last change.
However, this was to be Harcourt’s day. They were able to ease home, with both teams kicking two goals apiece in the final term, and it was a fourth successive win for the Lions over the Swans, stretching back to last season’s preliminary final.
Brayden Frost served a big reminder to the competition that he was prepared to bring his Berry-Powell Trophy winning form from 2022 back into the finals race with a commanding best-on-ground performance, while Kal Huntly was also crucial with his two goals. Jeffrey McMurtrie had an excellent outing quelling the Swans’ forward threats, while Thomas Walters, Jed Rodda and Benjamin Leech were also busy.
The Swans must now rebound with a do-or-die semi-final against traditional rivals Navarre, in what will be their first finals meeting since the 2017 preliminary final.
Zac Mortlock led from the front and was named their best, while Jordan Fraser was another to continue his stellar form this season. Joshua Grant, Callum Harte, Trent Mortlock and Daniel Vadala were also named in the best.
Harcourt coach Dan Wridgway was thrilled with how the Lions were able to keep their heads, despite the pressure of converting their unbeaten home and away campaign into a good start to the finals.
“I said to the boys that last week, we acknowledged that we went 16-0, but it means nothing if you can’t convert it. We started as if it was a clean slate, and now we are 1-0 in the finals, which is really good,” he said.
“Credit to Natte, they are a really good team, and they have been for a long time. They’ve had a lot of sustained success, and we knew that they were going to come out firing and move the ball really well, so it was a pleasing result to win.”
Wridgway praised Huntly, who stepped up to help coach the team in the midst of welcoming his second child during the year.
“To get a player of Kal’s calibre to the club is really good, but what makes it so special is he has a connection to the club and he’s really good mates with everybody. Sometimes good players roll up and think they are better than everyone, but he had that camaraderie with everyone, which is what we are all about at Harcourt,” he said.
Playing at Castlemaine in a final also garners a special connection to many who have previously played there, as well as the ability for the Lions to draw a big crowd given the localised nature of the game.
“When we saw the finals draw, we earmarked playing at Camp Reserve as a goal. We wanted to earn the right to play there, because a lot of our boys have played plenty of footy at the ground. It’s close to home, and it was a great reward to have a crack there. It was a great crowd too,” Wridgway said.
Wridgway, and the Lions, will now focus on getting their recovery right in their two-week break, saying the club are aiming to be primed for the right time of the year.
“It’s important to time your run well, and it’s the same in any sport. Last year, we dropped three games in a six-week period, but we knew we had the cattle to perform at the right time of the year,” he said.
“Recovery is important at this time of year and making sure everyone is fit. We had a big block in the last six weeks of the season to set ourselves up and time our run. We’ll recover, and we’ll go out to tighten ourselves up structurally as well. We’re aware of that, and we try not to be complacent and continue to improve.”