Gisborne Football Netball Club has six teams in Bendigo League grand finals at the Queen Elizabeth Oval this Saturday.
To have all three football teams and three netball sides with premiership chances is a remarkable performance by the southern-most club in the BFNL.
Gisborne A-grade netballers went down 52-49 to Kangaroo Flat in the preliminary final on Saturday, but had reason to celebrate when star player Maddy Stewart won the Betty Thompson Medal for best and fairest in the league with 26 votes. (Strathfieldsaye’s star midfielder Jake Moorhead won the Michelsen Medal for the best footballer in the league.)
Gisborne senior footballers survived an agonising last quarter to topple Golden Square by two points in a low-scoring preliminary final on Saturday.
It was a huge comeback as the Golden Square led by 15 points at one stage well into the last quarter; big ruckman Braidon Blake was one of the players instrumental in the Bulldogs fighting back to clinch an inspiring victory to earn another crack at Strathfieldsaye in the grand final.
Square’s ace forward Joel Brett needed four goals to reach 100 for the season, and finished with two, plus a couple of easy misses.
From club president John Wood down, Gisborne footballers and netballers (and supporters) are looking for a great day out at the QEO.
Strathfieldsaye Storm know all about winning grand finals, and Gisborne seniors coached by Rob Waters know they will face a tough battle.
Gisborne finished on top of the ladder, losing two matches, and are out to break a lengthy premiership drought.
It’s football finals fever time at Gardiner Reserve in Gisborne this week leading up to the grand finals.
Match details from Saturday’s senior preliminary final were:
Gisborne 2.2, 4.4, 5.7, 8.9 (57) d Golden Square 1.4, 4.8, 6.10, 7.13 (55).
Goals (G) – J. Kemp 3, B. Bernacki, E. Foreman, L. Ellings, M. Merrett, P. McKenna.
Best – B. Blake, Z. Vescovi, F. Lakey, Bernacki, J. Reaper, N. Doolan.
Goals (GS) – J. Brett, H. Morcom 2, J. Blake, B. Vaz, J. Hickman.
Best – R. Hartley, R. Mont, Morcom, J. Geary, Z. Murley, J. Coe.
Under 18s: Gisborne 10.9 (69) d Golden Square 6.2 (38).
Goals (G) – S. Wilson 4, H. Luxmoore, S. Clough 2, K. Minns, Z. Paterson.
Best – J. Gentls, C. Freake, J. Fox, M. Barake, Clough, Wilson.
Golden Square Reserves 11.8 (74) defeated Sandhurst 3.9 (27) to earn the right to play Gisborne in the grand final.
NETBALL SCORES
Preliminary final scores from Saturday’s netball were:
A-grade – Kangaroo Flat 52 d Gisborne 49.
A Reserve – Gisborne 48 d Kangaroo Flat 45.
B-grade – South Bendigo 50 d Kangaroo Flat 34.
B-Reserve – Gisborne 63 d Kangaroo Flat 42.
17&Under – Kangaroo Flat 43 d Sandhurst 42.
