Swans seek Sebas season sweep

Preliminary Final

Sebastopol v Ballarat

THE City Oval host two sides that have built quit the rivalry in the McDonalds Ballarat Football League due to their meteoric rises up the table with Sebastopol taking on Ballarat in a blockbuster this Saturday afternoon.

These two sides have met on two previous occasions in the home and away season with the Swans getting the chocolates on both occasions.

One single point was enough thanks to a late Andrew Hooper goal back in round 9 at the Alfredton Oval and it was only three points the last time they met in round 18 at the Marty Busch Reserve, with Josh Gibson the hero again for the Swannies with three crunch goals.

The selection table will be of keen interest as Joe Carmody consider the likes of Paddy Simpson and even Jake Dunne as a tall target, whereas Michael Searl will be hopeful to at least regain Hugo Papst who missed due to illness in Sebas’ loss Melton in the semi final last Saturday.

Tony Lockyer’s fitness will of course be the massive news story, although unlikely to play, with it now being all of nothing for the Burra they may be forced to roll the dice even if it is limited game time for their captain or yet a stint up forward as has been flirted with in the past.

The key match ups in this one will be in the Ballarat forward line. Grady Snowden was the Burras’ best the last two time these sides met and he kept Hooper goal less in the final round of the season.

No doubt for the third time in 2022 the versatile Snowden gets Hooper.

Riley O’Keefe will play on Gibson, and it’s important for O’Keeffe to learn from their last encounter where Gibson was the difference, and with his troublesome hamstring he needs to be used an offensive weapon.

At the other end Bailey Van De Heuvel and Toby Hutt’s dual should be an aerial masterclass, both so damaging when the high ball comes in.

Ballarat skipper Sam James verses Lachlan Cassidy in the midfield is one for the ages, with both players highly touted to feature in this year’s BFL Team of the Year to be announced next week.

When it is all said and done, Ballarat has the psychological edge with their previous victories and with their record in the close ones in season 2022, if the Burra don’t put them away early and it’s a tight affair, it is easy to see where the money has to go.

Prediction: Ballarat by two points.