By Luke Mathews
KEILOR 10.10 (70) def. by PASCOE VALE 15.14 (104)
MATCH CENTRE
Pascoe Vale have upstaged Keilor, defeating the reigning premiers by 34 points at Coburg City Oval.
Saturday’s boilover is just Keilor’s second loss for the year and is a 167-point turnaround from their first meeting in Round 6.
Keilor coach Mick McGuane credited Pascoe Vale’s work around the contest and tackling pressure but was disappointed with his side’s ball use and inability to defend the ground and stop Pascoe Vale’s transition.
Despite taking the lead through a goal from Thomas McGuane at the 11-minute mark of the second quarter, the Panthers were the dominant side for much of the day and led at every change before storming home with a five-goal final term to seal a famous victory.
Josh Iacobaccio and Ahmed Saad stood tall in the forward line with three goals each while Lachlan Stredwick held firm all day in defence.
Despite going down, Chris Kosmas starred with five goals to keep his side in it while Kane Barbuto and Billy Johnson fought hard all day.
Keilor will be looking to bounce back quickly next Sunday when they face Strathmore at Coburg City Oval.
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STRATHMORE 10.13 (73) def. GREENVALE 7.8 (50)
MATCH CENTRE
Strathmore have won through to another preliminary final after defeating Greenvale by 23 points at Coburg City Oval.
Unfortunately for Greenvale, their season comes to a close after they couldn’t repeat last week’s heroics against Aberfeldie.
After an evenly poised opening half that saw the teams combine for only four goals, Strathmore took a slender five-point advantage into the final term before kicking five final quarter goals to run away with the victory.
Kyle Weightman starred against Greenvale for the second time this year kicking four goals while Will Jury helped drag his side over the line.
Even though they didn’t come away with the victory, Josh Porter had another solid game with two goals while Ryan Townsend and Corey Baker finished the season on a high with strong performances.
Strathmore will be hoping to book their spot in their third successive grand final when they take on Keilor at Coburg City Oval.
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By Joseph Ibic
WEST COBURG 11.16 (82) def. ST ALBANS 2.12 (24)
MATCH CENTRE
West Coburg have cruised through to the grand final after a thumping 58-point victory over a lacklustre St Albans.
The Burgers held St Albans to just two goals for the entire match in an extraordinary feat of defending that ultimately, played a huge role in winning them the game.
While down the other end Ibby Taha and Omar Saad continued their great form with Taha scoring five goals and Saad slotting four, as they outscored the opposition themselves.
It was a disappointing end to the Saints' season who unfortunately, had a bad day at the wrong time of the year.
St Albans would be especially disappointed with their goal kicking that saw them have 14 scoring shots with only two goals in return.
West Coburg will face off against Maribyrnong Park in the Division One grand final at Coburg City Oval.
By Luke Mathews
TAYLORS LAKES 8.14 (62) def. WESTMEADOWS 5.13 (43)
MATCH CENTRE
Taylors Lakes have outlasted Westmeadows in a gripping grand final, defeating the Tigers by 19 points at Windy Hill to head back to Division One.
After finishing the season on top of the ladder, Saturday’s grand final victory reaffirms their status as the best team in the competition and brings senior silverware back to Lionheart Reserve for the first time since 2010.
In an enthralling contest that saw plenty of highlights, momentum swings, brutal toughness, and spectacular individual performances, it was Steve Burns’ men that edged out a brave Westmeadows side to claim this year’s premiership.
Check out the full match report here.
