AFL Canberra Weekly Wrap – Finals Week 2 Review + Grand Final Preview

Written by David Redden

WOMENS FIRST GRADE:
Belconnen qualified for the First Grade Womens Grand Final with a nail-biting 2-point win over Queanbeyan at Gungahlin Enclosed Oval (GEO) on Saturday. Final scores were Belconnen 2.4.16 to Queanbeyan 5.1.31.
In match affected by cold, blustery conditions at GEO, Scores were locked at 1 behind each at quarter time. The Magpies kicked the only goal of the first half in the second quarter to lead by 6 points at the main break.
In a tough, grinding affair where inside midfielders shone, both sides kicked 1 goal in the third quarter as the Magpies took a 7-point lead into the final quarter.
Queanbeyan, missing key midfielder Jayde Hamilton (hand injury), kicked the only goal of the final term, but Belconnen defended desperately to hang on to a thrilling 2-point victory
Belconnen’s Grace Read starred with 31 touches, with Isla Wiencke (22 disposals and 16 tackles), representative star Zoe Allen (19 disposals and 11 tackles) and Ella Randall (16 disposals and 11 tackles) providing great service for the victorious Magpies.
For Queanbeyan, Maggie Robinson picked 16 disposals and 10 tackles. Anita Manning collected 15 disposals and an amazing 18 tackles, and representative ruck Madi Lustri picked 12 touches and 33 hit outs.

 

GRAND FINAL PREVIEW: Ainslie vs Belconnen, 11.05am, Saturday 7 September, EPC Solar Oval, Phillip.
The First Grade Womens Grand Final should be an exciting, tough and thrilling affair. Slight favourites Ainslie, with a week’s rest, head to the open expanses of EPC Solar Park to take on the Belconnen Magpies.
The Tricolours have been impressive all season and deserve their shot at premiership glory. The experience and calm presence of Zoe Skyrianos will be pivotal for Ainslie. Greta Larkey looms large for the Tricolours as she looks to repeat a best on-ground performance from the Major Semi Final. Ainslie also has proven goalkickers in Charli Canavan and Karina Demant to create havoc for Belconnen’s back 5.
Belconnen will look to the in-form Grace Read, Isla Wiencke, and Emma Zouch to guide them to a Grand Final victory. Read and Wiencke have been superb for the Magpies in their two finals so far and they must again dig deep if Belconnen is to upset Ainslie. Amber Allen plays her 150th First Grade for Belconnen, and playing alongside sister Zoe, needs a huge performance to keep Ainslie from kicking a winning score.
The predicted forecast at game time is 12-13C, with an outside chance of showers, clearly better conditions than on Preliminary Final day.

 

MENS FIRST GRADE:

Queanbeyan produced a wonderful half against Ainslie in Saturday’s Preliminary Final at GEO. The Tigers trailed by 9 points points at the main break before running out victors 10.6.66 to 8.8.56 on a wild and woolly afternoon in Gungahlin.
Ainslie shot out of the gates in the first quarter and led by 15 points after the first 30 minutes. Queanbeyan then came back in the second quarter, managing 2 goals to 1 as they went into the sheds 9 points down at the main break.
The Tigers again kicked 2 goals to 1 in the third quarter as their back six continually repelled Ainslie’s attacking forays. Ainslie led by a mere 5 point at three-quarter time, which set up a huge last quarter. The Tigers came home with a wet sail in by far the most entertaining quarter of the match, kicking 5.3 to 3.0 in the final term to run out 10-point victors, assisted by a goal after the siren.
Jack Jovanovic kicked a crucial 4 goals for Queanbeyan, with ruckman Aidan Bowyer bobbing up to add 2 majors of his own. Ainslie had Max Beaumont and Joel Dunstall kick 2 goals each.
Queabeyan’s best players were Bowyer, Max Banic, Bailee Gilbert, Jovanovic, Jack Nunn, and Dean Simpson. Ainslie was best served by Josh Maynard, Dunstall, Nick Cameron-Neser, Luca Drury, Joe Bishop, and Beaumont.

 

GRAND FINAL PREVIEW: Eastlake vs Queanbeyan, 3.25pm, Saturday 7 September, EPC Solar Park, Phillip
Football is full of redemption stories. 12 months on after a shattering Grand Final defeat at the hands of these very same Queanbeyan Tigers, the Eastlake Demons now have the perfect opportunity to bury ghosts of the past this Saturday at EPC Solar Park.
Coming off a week’s rest, the Demons have done some serious soul-searching and will come out firing in the Grand Final. The Tigers have produced two superb performances in the Finals so far and are most definitely riding the crest of a wave right now. Make no mistake, if things get close in the Grand Final, the Tigers will be sure to remind the Demons about previous Grand Final failure.
It’s been 25 years since Eastlake tasted premiership glory, and this promises to be a wonderful game, with a forecast maximum of 17C and with most of the game being played in daylight at Phillip.

Some Grand Final teasers:

• Will the Tigers have a run-with player mark either of the Dynamic Duo, Alex Smout and Angus Baker?
• Will Jack Nunn, so influential all season across half-back for Queanbeyan, have a defensive-minded forward to combat?
• Who can, crucially, win the midfield battle on the wide-open expanses of EPC Solar Park?
• Who gets first crack at Tigers full-forward Jack Jovanovic?
• Will Nick Kelly, the breakout star of 2025, again dominate for Eastlake?
• Can Tigers skipper Tyler Collins produce on the big stage again?

This Grand Final has “epic” written over it. Make sure to catch all the action of all Grand Finals on All In Sports this weekend.

 

PLAYER SPOTLIGHT:
This week’s Player Spotlight is Belconnen’s Grace Read, who was quite brilliant for the Magpies in their Preliminary Final victory over Queanbeyan.
Read had a match-high 31 touches on Sunday, made up of 23 kicks and 8 handballs. A highlight of Read’s outstanding performance was an extraordinary 22 contested possessions, clearly the highest number of hard ball gets from either side. Read also produced 7 clearances and 5 tackles as she dominated the midfield in tough conditions at Gungahlin. Read collected 107 Player Points in her superb performance, and Belconnen will need Read to reproduce her very best form in their Grand Final against archrivals Ainslie at EPC Solar Park on Saturday.

 

ActewAGL Junior Grand Final Winners:
The ActewAGL Junior Grand Finals were played last weekend, with some great footy action and lots of support for all our teams.
Congratulations to the premiers in each grade:
• Under 13 Mixed – Tuggeranong
• Under 14 Mixed – Eastlake
• Under 12 Mixed – Marist
• Under 15 Boys – Tuggeranong
• Under 17 Boys – Eastlake
• Under 12 Girls – Eastlake
• Under 14 Girls – Tuggeranong
• Under 16 Girls – Belconnen