PORT Macquarie Magpies sharpshooter Jesse Schmidt won’t mind claiming the “match winner” tag again if his side can secure the AFL North Coast flag this weekend.
With only 90 seconds left on the clock in Saturday’s preliminary final at Coffs Harbour’s BCU International Stadium, the dynamic Magpie booted the Port Macquarie outfit into the 2010 decider against powerhouse Sawtell-Toormina Saints.
The locals managed to hang on for a famous 11-8-74 to 10-13-73 victory, with Matt Lill, full forward Greg Conway and Schmidt kicking a total of seven majors between them.
“It was a good feeling to land the winner,” he admitted.
“After trailing all game, we were down by four or so goals at the end of the third term.
“But, we kept fighting back.
“And, now, we’re looking forward to the grand final.”
Standing in the Magpies’ way is three-time premiers Sawtell-Toormina, a team yet to taste defeat in 2010.
So far, the ledger favours the Saints 3-0.
In May, Sawtell hammered Port Macquarie 24-16-160 to 5-3-33 at home, while the Magpies narrowly dropped the round 10 encounter at Stuart Park 9-13-67 to 9-8-62.
Last month, the Saints sealed the minor premiership following a 21-16-142 to 3-3-21 triumph.
While those statistics don’t paint a rosy picture, Schmidt is confident the Magpies can cause a boilover on Saturday.
“We’ve been under-manned each time we’ve played them this season,” he explained.
“In fact, I’ve only tackled the Saints once.
“So, we’ll be at full-strength this weekend, which is a big plus.
“If we can man up and take advantage of their mistakes, I’m sure we can win.
“It’s up to skipper Shannon Skreja, Michael Kemp, Dean Nankervill, ‘Mr Consistent’ (Matt) Lill and myself to lead the charge.
“Also, this time we’re playing Sawtell at Coffs Harbour’s BCU International Stadium – not Richardson Park (Sawtell) or Stuart Park (Port Macquarie).
“Although it makes it a bit tougher, playing on a bigger ground, it’s the same for both sides.
“We’ll need to change our style – but go beyond that too.”