By RUSSELL BENNETT
ELLINBANK AND DISTRICT FOOTBALL LEAGUE
FINALS PREVIEW – WEEK 3
BUNYIP v NAR NAR GOON
Preliminary Final 2 – Sunday from 2.00pm at Beswick Street, Garfield
Ladder positions: 2nd (14 wins, 2 losses) versus 5th (11 wins, 5 losses)
Earlier this season:
Round 1 at Cora Lynn:
Bunyip 13.13 (91) d Nar Nar Goon 11.4 (70)
Round 11 at Bunyip:
Bunyip 12.10 (82) d Nar Nar Goon 3.6 (24)
Bunyip players to watch: Nathan Lieshout, Jeb McLeod, Brad Walker
Nar Nar Goon players to watch: Matt Stevens, Nick Henwood, Brent Hughes
WHILE Nar Nar Goon has ridden a brilliant wave of momentum into their preliminary final against Bunyip this week at Garfield, the snarling Bulldogs haven’t even lost a game since their Round 4 clash with the Warragul Industrials – that’s 13 straight wins.
It’s easy to get caught up in the brilliance of the Goon’s story this season, and just how they’ve made it so far after overcoming so much.
But Bunyip has arguably been the competition’s most impressive side since Round 4. It’s hard to pinpoint any real weakness – from a much improved ruck division and on-ball brigade, to the brilliance of skipper Nathan Lieshout at centre-half back.
Up forward they’re no less imposing either, with the likes of Kris Fletcher, Matt Ross, Rob Hughes and Jack Blakey all superb two-way workers.
This Sunday’s battle will be largely about the proven Bulldogs versus the fearless mentality of a Nar Nar Goon side with nothing to lose.
The Bulldogs went straight from a Sunday training session to see the Goon embarrass the Warragul Industrials at Catani on the weekend.They were all there with a front row seat to see just how clinically Chris Jones’s side sent the Dusties packing in straight sets.
“It definitely showed what Nar Nar Goon is capable of,” said Bulldogs player-coach Brad Walker, who has a huge role to play on-field this week.
He knows it’s one thing to identify how the Goon plays – it’s easy enough given how similar it is in many ways to Bunyip’s game style; with outside run, decisive ball use and good delivery inside 50 – but it’s another thing to stop it.
“They’ll take plenty of confidence out of that game,” he said.
But Walker is confident in his side’s ability to keep their run going and book a place in this year’s grand final.
“We rely on having 21 contributors and it’s how we’ve been all year,” he said.
But the Goon has evolved in its game style from the last time the two sides met – they’re playing a much more uninhibited brand of footy, and last time they faced off the likes of Mat Slattery, Seamus and Ben Scanlon, Luke Failla and James Martin didn’t play.
Walker knows playing against them this time around would be a different story. He was particularly impressed with Chris Adams and Nick Henwood out wide on Sunday, while the likes of Brendan Hermann and Brent Hughes can expect to face off against the likes of Jake Buckingham and Jeb McLeod in the middle.
The Bulldogs do, however, need to work on their conversion in front of goal and Walker acknowledged that was a point of emphasis moving forward.
One player who could help that is Tom Papley, with the Gippsland Power star a possible inclusion for the crunch game this week.
Nar Nar Goon caretaker coach Chris Jones said he can’t wait for the clash. And he’s not the only one. He said he’d already had a number of phone calls from his players since the win over the Dusties.
“They’d called for an extended chat – they just want to keep it rolling,” he said.
With a vastly different lineup and more attacking style, Jones said the previous results between the Goon and the Bulldogs this season were largely irrelevant.
His side has no huge injury concern heading into this week either, with the important Ryan Louch (quad strain) a chance to return.
Jones knows Bunyip’s half forwards will be a lot tighter on their half-back line than the Dusties were.
“Accountability is the main thing for us,” he said.
“That’s number one.”
He said his side would play with the same gusto and spread as the past give to six weeks.
They also know who they need to try and shut down – players such as Fletcher and Lieshout.
Jones can’t wait for the almost inevitable Matt Stevens versus Lieshout matchup, adding that his centre-half forward was super-talented and capable of blowing a game wide open.
He said the situation the Goon was currently in – entering a preliminary final – was “unexpected” and said the hardest thing was getting the players to believe.
“When they believe, there’s real ammunition there for us,” he said.
“Our energy level won’t change – it’s been up for two weeks in a row now. They know where it has to be.
“We’ll be physical – we know we can’t go over the line, but we’ll be close to it!”
Longwarry coach Scott Gowans is another league identity who can’t wait for this Sunday’s match-up.
“Nar Nar Goon may give Bunyip a fair bit of cheek but for them to win I think Stevens is going to need to play a blinder at centre-half forward.
“I expect the scores will be pretty close throughout the first half but Bunyip will break it open in the second half and win by around five goals.”
