Sawtell Toormina Saints may have won the game, but they couldn’t spoil Breakers party. Despite the loss, the Coffs club claimed its maiden Minor Premiership on the basis of its superior percentage over Port Macquarie Magpies.
Having already wrapped up top spot on the Under 18 ladder two weeks ago, Breakers Reserve Grade victory over Sawtell meant that the joint venture club claimed the trifecta of Minor Premierships. This is an incredible achievement by a club in just it’s second season of existence.
A quick look at Breakers team sheet for this match suggests that selections were made with one eye on the Semi Final in two weeks time. Fraser Duryea, Darren Funston, and Shannon Burow were all rested however there was still enough firepower in the ranks to take the match to Sawtell who were missing key players of their own. Leif Stuart, Danniel Johnson, Brendan Foote, and Matt Flynn were all missing for Sawtell which certainly balanced the ledger.
Just before half time Sawtell were in front by just six points but 2 quick goals before the long break saw them jump to a 3 goal lead. In the third quarter Sawtell had 7 scoring shots but inaccuracy saw them only convert a further 2, and kept Breakers in the game. Whatever coach Jim Angel said at the last break had the desired effect and Sawtell returned in the last to boot 6 majors against Breakers 2 and seal a 48 point win.
After the match, Angel was happy with his team’s performance. “People have started to question our side but we know the quality we have within it. We had a number of guys out today so the blokes who played knew they had to lift and that’s exactly what they did. This gives us a good platform to build upon as we enter the Finals.”
Aaron Clarke had an off day with his kicking boots last week but slotted 5 majors against the Breakers. Mark Couzens added 2 and six other players all contributed 1. For Breakers, Jay Guthrie led the line well, kicking 3, but it was a lack of forward penetration that meant that there were too few other contributors.
Breakers club President Ray Ellicott was a proud man even though the result went against his team. “As a club, we set out to improve on last season but we never imagined that we would win all three Minor Premierships. We’re proud that we’ve been able to achieve this, but it really won’t mean anything if the teams don’t go on and convert this into Premierships.”
Sawtell Toormina Saints 13.12.90 defeated Coffs Breakers 6.6.42
At Fitzroy Oval, Port Macquarie Magpies handed Grafton Tigers a 102 point loss to seal second place on the ladder. In a sign of how close the 2016 season has been, Port finish level on points with Breakers, with Sawtell just one win behind, setting the scene perfectly for the coming Finals series.
Coach Anthony Beasley was pleased with both the performance and result, but was happiest with the impressive returns of Craig Dicker and Bryce Hayward from long injury lay-offs. Both players made key contributions to the win and were well supported by Scott Dalton, Ben Manton, and Max Lower.
Port Macquarie Magpies 18.22.130 defeated Grafton Tigers 4.4.28
In Reserve Grade, the match between Sawtell Toormina Saints and Coffs Breakers was a winner takes all showdown for the Minor Premiership. The match was close to half time before Breakers kicked away from the injury depleted Saints to run out 7 goal winners. These teams get next week off before going head to head again in a fortnight’s time in the Semi Final.
Coffs Breakers 8.9.57 defeated Sawtell Toormina Saints 2.4.16
The Reserve Grade match between Macleay Valley Eagles and Port Macquarie Magpies was washed out as a result of South Kempsey Oval being closed. As a result, neither team has a psychological advantage going into next weekend’s Semi Final clash.
In Under 18 action, an improved performance by Sawtell gave new coach Luke Matthews hope for a promising showing in the Finals, but wasn’t enough to get the points against Coffs Breakers. Sawtell’s season had lost all momentum but this performance steadies the ship and allows them to re-focus ahead of an expected Semi Final win against Grafton Tigers next week.
Coffs Breakers 10.12.72 defeated Sawtell Toormina Saints 6.7.43
Next Saturday sees the start of the Finals Series with third place up against fourth in all grades at C.ex Coffs International Stadium. The losers of these matches are finished for season 2016, whilst the winner continues on to the Preliminary Final on 27 August. The line up is as follows:
Under 18 Sawtell Toormina Saints v Grafton Tigers (11:00am)
Reserves: Port Macquarie Magpies v Macleay Valley Eagles (12:50pm)
Seniors: Sawtell Toormina Saints v Grafton Tigers (2:20pm)
Last Modified on 08/08/2016 09:30