Eagles out of the SFL finals

Southern Football League finals - Week 2
Match report provided by SFL League Management

Claremont 20.15 (135) defeated New Norfolk 12.12 (84)

The reigning premiers came out on top in the First Semi-Final on Saturday after a heated battle between these two teams. The Eagles are now out of the competition for the 2016 season after the Magpies soared through with a 51-point win. Claremont moves forward to play Cygnet in the Preliminary Final at North Hobart on Sunday.

The pressure was on in the 2015 Grand Final rematch as both teams were playing to keep their fortunes alive in the 2016 season. The first term was relatively even. When the Eagles kicked a goal it didn’t take long for the Magpies to score one either. New Norfolk managed to finish the quarter one goal up.

In the second term both teams were on fire. The Magpies managed to score an eight-goal haul and while the Eagles tried to fight back they only scored four. This effort gave the Magpies some more control over the match and left them 10 points ahead by half-time.

After the break the pressure was back on as New Norfolk slowly took control of the game. The Eagles had most of the ball but just couldn’t make it show on the scoreboard. By the end of the third quarter the Eagles sat 11 points ahead and there was only one term left to decide who was going forward into the 2016 Preliminary Final.

The Magpies played a phenomenal fourth quarter; they managed a 10-goal haul compared to only two points kicked by the Eagles. It was a tight first three quarters but the Magpies came out and absolutely soared through the final term and the Eagles didn’t stand a chance.

For the Magpies, Jake Gillie and Martyn Allison led the pack with four goals each, followed by Sean Salter and Jack Crossin with three each, and the 2015 William Leitch Medallist Nathan Brown finished with two. On the Eagles scoresheet, Ben Lovell and Michael Thompson scored three each, and Blair Wardlaw scored two.

SFL president Madeleine Ogilvie MHA was in the crowd and she was impressed with the strong crowd at the game.  “It was a close contest and whilst there was no rain, the breeze provided some kicking challenges for the boys. The Claremont supporters were in good form, and it was great to see the mayor of New Norfolk (sic) there to cheer his team along too.”

The results from this match have moved the Magpies onwards for a Qualifying Final re-match to play against Cygnet this weekend in the Preliminary Final at North Hobart, while, unfortunately, New Norfolk’s season is over for 2016.

In both the Reserves and the Under 18s Second Semi-Final matches the Magpies have gone straight through to the grand final after beating the Two Blues and Southern Storm respectively in those competition match ups.

Lindisfarne 20.21 (141) defeated Cygnet 8.10 (58)

Cygnet’s rich vein of form came to end as the Two Blues raced away and secured a huge 83-point win moving them straight through to the Grand Final at North Hobart on Saturday, September 24.

The Two Blues lost against the Magpies in the Reserves and Brighton in the Under 18s. In the Under 18s they’re now out of the competition, but they still have a chance to play off in the Grand Final for the Reserves.