Senior Grand Final is a Local Derby

From early in the season the common expectation has been that Sawtell Toormina Saints and Coffs Breakers would meet in the Grand Final, and that’s exactly the way the cards have fallen.

Before that was a certainty the Breakers had to come through a potentially testing Preliminary Final encounter with the Port Macquarie Magpies whose form was on an upsurge. Breakers had looked rusty the week before in their semi final defeat and had to guard against a repeat performance as the Magpies have always played the Stadium well and would be hard to run down from behind.

There were no such issues this time around for the Breakers who were on song from the first bounce, with both their structures and link up play looking as slick as it has at any stage in the season. A dominant 7 goal to 1 first term saw Breakers ease out to a 39 point lead at the first break and it was always going to be uphill for Port from there.

Port did manage to ease the haemorrhaging slightly in the second term, but a further five goals to Breakers against two to Port saw the lead approaching ten goals. Port’s cause wasn’t helped by the loss of Adam Mannes and Luke Boxhall to head knocks in the third quarter, but the scoreboard damage was well and truly done by this point.

Port battled on manfully to the final siren but were outclassed in just about every facet of the game.

After a poor showing in the Semi Final defeat Breakers players really needed to step up and it was the likes of Jacob Sincock, Royce Close, Mckinlay Pearce, and Ben Gibbeson who made amends. Up front, Nick Stanlan-Velt was dangerous, posting five goals, whilst Luke Valdes continually pounced on the loose ball to boot four of his own. This duo got handy support from Liam Paige and Josh Hunt who each chipped in with two goals.

There weren’t many silver linings for Port who now turn their attention to 2018. Dylan Beasley competed strongly across the half back line, taking a number of strong intercept marks, whilst Fraser Carroll continued his good run of form through the midfield and pushing forward. Sam Johnson and Angus Scott managed two goals apiece but were mostly starved of service to be able to make a bigger scoreboard contribution.

Breakers are now focused on redemption in what will be a repeat of last season’s Grand Final. Breakers went into that match against Sawtell as favourites but never really got going and weren’t able to mount a serious challenge. They will have taken a lot of learnings out of that performance and will be confident of giving a much better account of themselves this time around. Sawtell are big game performers and will be primed for another tilt at premiership glory.

Coffs Breakers 20.9.129 defeated Port Macquarie Magpies 6.5.41

It was a very similar story in the Under 18 match, where Coffs Breakers bounced back to form with a solid win over Sawtell Toormina Saints.

Just like the Seniors, the win had been set up by half time with Breakers posting five goals to one in the first quarter followed by four goals to one in the second. Sawtell improved going forward in the second half but weren’t able to stop the flow of goals at the other end and Breakers ran out winners by 56 points.

Captain Jack Pavey led strongly from the front for the Breakers, whilst Sawtell had no answer to the run of Aiden Wallace who finished with four goals. Aden van Ryswyk was a constant threat at full forward, booting six goals.

For Sawtell, Angus Kennedy-Carvalho battled hard throughout the match, as did Patrick Murphy and Curtis Smith. Mitch Napier kicked four of the Saints six goals but it was a lack of other scoreboard contributions that was the problem.

Breakers go into the Grand Final showdown with Grafton Tigers gunning for a third straight flag in this grade. Grafton will take some beating though, as their semi final performance was as impressive a team effort as seen in any grade this Finals Series.

Coffs Breakers 16.6.102 defeated Sawtell Toormina Saints 6.10.46

Saturday’s Grand Final schedule sees Grafton Tigers and Coffs Breakers in the Under 18 at 10:30am, Coffs Breakers and Sawtell Toormina Saints in Reserve Grade at 12:30pm, a Women’s demonstration match at 2:10pm, then the main game where Sawtell Toormina Saints and Coffs Breakers face off in the Senior Grand Final at 3:10pm. All matches are at C.ex Coffs International Stadium.