Bacchus Marsh primed for finals return

A PROUD Dennis Armfield has hailed Bacchus Marsh’s return to finals as a huge step forward for the club.

But the Cobras coach insists they are not about to rest on their laurels and are ready to make their presence felt in their first finals appearance since a 2018 elimination final loss to Darley.

The Cobras, who will play Melton in an elimination final this Sunday at Eastern Oval, retained their spot in the top six following an exhilarating final round, overcoming Sebastopol by 20 points at Marty Busch Recreation Reserve.

They were joined by Ballarat, which jumped from eighth to sixth on the back of a come-from-behind win over Redan, and displaced North Ballarat, after the Roosters only narrowly fell to premiership favourite Darley.

The Roosters led by as much as 10 points in the final quarter, before the Devils steadied to claim their 17th straight win, sending North Ballarat from fifth to seventh.

 

In a season full of twists and turns in the battle for fifth and sixth spots below Darley, East Point, Sunbury and Melton, the final round threw up plenty more.

Bacchus Marsh did well to lead Sebastopol by 21 points at three-quarter-time, with the spectre of the Burra’s five-goal final quarter surge from the previous week against North Ballarat ever-present.

The Burra gave their fans hopes of a repeat when they booted the first of the quarter, but the Cobras, led by Jake McCreery and the returning Jake Owen, both with six goals, had all the answers.

Armfield could not have been prouder of his players’ resilience and determination.

“Credit to the boys, we came out here with a plan and we executed. I was really proud of them,” he said.

“To have a real even contribution was really pleasing.

“I wasn’t relaxed until that final siren went.

“I watched their game against North Ballarat last week and they came home with an absolute boom.

 

“I was ready for it. They kicked a couple early (in the last quarter) and I got nervous, but credit to our boys, we were able to either hit a settler or wrestle back momentum.

“I’m really proud of the boys as it has been a long time coming for our club.

“To have all three teams in finals is sensational, off the back of development.

“At the end of the day, we did this for our club and our community and the bigger picture.”

Typifying the commitment to the cause was a number of Cobras who played with injury concerns, among them key forward Owen, who was given medical advice not to play as he recovers from the broken finger he sustained against Darley in round 13.

After the Cobras missed a chance to seal a finals spot a week earlier against Ballarat, Owen was determined for nothing to stand in his way of a return against the Burra.

 

“I trained Thursday and the finger didn’t hurt marking the ball, so I thought I’d be right to play,” he said.

“I pulled up well. My legs were starting to cramp towards the end of the last quarter. Being five weeks out does that to you.

“There were a few blokes out there pushing through the pain barrier, but they really stood up and put their hearts on the line for the club.”

Owen hailed the win as right up there with his best moments in football.

“It was a big game for both clubs – a pretty even playing field and pretty much an elimination final a week early,” he said.

“It seems like we’ve already played a few elimination finals in the last few weeks, so we’re ready.

“I think this year we have really matured a lot as a club – haven’t been blown out of the water by any clubs this year.

“So, we’ll take that confidence in. We know when we play our brand, we are good enough to match it with the best.

“It’s bloody unreal to finally get back into finals.”

 

A win built on many contributions was led by 300-gamer Tyson Shea, Rye Penny and ruckman Kai Tyrrell, backed by the potency up forward of Owen, McCreery and Ethan McKercher (three goals).

Armfield said the Cobras would go into a drought-breaking final full of optimism having fared well against Melton only a few weeks earlier for a four-point win at home,

“I said to the boys, we are there not to make up the numbers,” he said.

“We played Sunbury last week and we were right in the game, and we played Melton a few weeks ago and were right in it.

“It’s going to be a cracker … exciting. I can’t wipe the smile off my face.”

Finals week one: Darley v East Point (Saturday at Darley Park), Sunbury v Ballarat (Saturday at Maddingley Park), Melton v Bacchus Marsh (Sunday at Eastern Oval).

Week one finals tips: Darley, Sunbury, Bacchus Marsh.