Torquay and Modewarre to fight for grand final spot

The weekend’s semi-finals at Portarlington Reserve set up a preliminary final between Torquay and Modewarre, while Ocean Grove was eliminated.

Ocean Grove had lost to Geelong Amateur in the qualifying final by just three points and it was once again fine margins that went against them.

Their season was brought to an end by Modewarre who won 39-31.

Modewarre’s win means they will play Torquay in the preliminary final on Saturday, after Torquay were beaten by Geelong Amateur 40-28.

Torquay coach Courtney Cuolahan says while she is disappointed with the loss, she knows her side can play better.

“It’s really about how we bounce back from that loss,” Cuolahan said.

“But I’m confident the girls can put out a much better performance.”

Torquay finished first on the ladder with a percentage of over 200.

The only team to defeat them in the normal season was Geelong Amateur. But on that occasion Torquay only lost by a point, whereas Saturday’s loss was more substantial.

Torquay will have the home advantage on Saturday though, as the sides play at Spring Creek Reserve at 2.30pm.

Torquay will also play in the B Grade preliminary final that starts at 1pm. Yet this comes after they won their semi-final.

They trailed to Ocean Grove by two points at half-time, but had an excellent final two quarters which gave them a 32-26 win.

They will face Barwon Heads, who nearly managed a similar comeback against Geelong Amateur, but ran out of time, with the game finishing 41-38.

In C Grade, Drysdale will play Geelong Amateur, with Geelong having won by a single point when the sides last met in the qualifying final.

The winner of that game will play Ocean Grove in the grand final, just as the winner of the preliminary final will in D Grade.

This match sees Torquay play Geelong Amateur.

The E Grade preliminary final once again features Torquay. They will play Ocean Grove for a place in the final against Barwon Heads.