TORQUAY earned a spot in the preliminary final by defeating Anglesea at Portarlington Recreation Reserve on Sunday.
\nAnglesea\u2019s hopes of a first premiership since 1999 ended in 13.7 (85) to 5.12 (42) loss to Torquay in the first semi-final.
\nTorquay coach Dom Gleeson said he was very pleased with how his side played.
\n\u201cOverall the performance was really outstanding,\u201d Gleeson said.
\n\u201cWe had plenty of avenues to goal, we got the ball into our forward half regularly, and we defended really well.\u201d
\nAnglesea were ahead after a scrappy first quarter, and had they been sharper with their chances could have taken a more substantial lead. Instead they finished the quarter narrowly ahead at 1.5 (11) to 1.2 (8).
\nTorquay started the second quarter very strongly.
\nThey played at a tempo that Anglesea couldn\u2019t match.
\nTorquay were clinical in taking their chances, and looked like they might kill the game off by half-time.
\nBut Anglesea showed resilience to stop the stampede and were soon putting pressure back on Torquay.
\nIn fact, Torquay was probably the happier side to hear the half-time siren.
\nStorm clouds rolled over as the second half began.
\nTorquay started the third quarter in a similar way to how they did the second, and soon established an almost insurmountable lead.
\nAnglesea\u2019s defence was under constant pressure. In their desperation they conceded a couple of free kicks right in front of goal, both of which Torquay assuredly converted.
\nTorquay then ended the third quarter with a 12.6 (78) to 3.8 (26) lead.
\nJust as they did at the start of the game, Anglesea showed in the final quarter that they could match Torquay.
\nBut Torquay fully capitalised on the periods of the match where they were on top, finishing comfortable winners as a result.
\nOn Saturday, in the second semi-final, Barwon Heads earned a spot in the grand final after thrashing Geelong Amateur 23.10 (148) to 9.5 (59).
\nGeelong Amateur had finished top of the ladder ahead of Barwon Heads by two points, but Barwon Heads had defeated them 14.9 (93) to 8.4 (52) when the sides last met on the final day of the home and away season.
\nBarwon Heads grew more dominant as the game progressed, scoring 95 points in the second half, despite Geelong Amateur having only conceded that many points in an entire match once this season.
\nIn the reserves, Barwon Heads narrowly missed our on guaranteeing themselves a place in the grand final, as they were defeated by Torquay 7.6 (48) to 6.3 (39).
\nThe first semi-final was more one-sided.
\nModewarre\u2019s 10.12 (72) to 4.8 (32) defeat over Drysdale ensured their place in the preliminary final.
\nBoth seniors and reserves preliminary finals will be played on Saturday at McCartney Oval in Torquay. In the seniors, Torquay will play Geelong Amateur, while in the reserves, Barwon Heads will take on Modewarre.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
TORQUAY earned a spot in the preliminary final by defeating Anglesea at Portarlington Recreation Reserve on Sunday. Anglesea\u2019s hopes of a first premiership since 1999 ended in 13.7 (85) to 5.12 (42) loss to Torquay in the first semi-final. Torquay coach Dom Gleeson said he was very pleased with how his side played. \u201cOverall the […]<\/p>\n