Harvey Norman Oxley - QAFL Colts Qualifying Final Preview
Andrew Thomson
COLTS IN FORM FOR QUALIFYING FINAL
The Western Magpies Colts will fly the flag for the Pies in the finals when they meet Wilston Grange in the QAFL Qualifying Final at Surfers Paradise on Saturday. The Magpies have been in good recent form but uinfortunately will be missing two very good players in QLD U18s on-baller Darcy Prest, who is ill, and tall forward Jack Briskey with injury.
All other players are up and running and have displayed good form in the past 2 matches, playing their best football for some time in the big win last week over the Surfers Sharks. The Magpies, who finished third, face a tough opponent in the second placed Wilston Grange who beat the Magpies in two tight and hard fought contests this season. Finals football is different and the pressure may be more on the Gorillas than the Pies and the Pies are more than capable of reversing the home and away results on Saturday.
Leading the way in recent matches has been centreman and premiership captain Noah Resuggan who will know what finals football is all about and he also has premiership teammates in Whitlam Bishop, Cam Ferguson, Jacob Aurisch, Sean Ryan and Sam Mehari (BOG in 2018 GF) to lead the way for the pies. Bishop at CHB has had a good month and he and Lawson Campbell at fullback have led a tight and miserly back half with Aurisch, Tom Evans and Jack Spry all playing well in recent weeks.
Lachlan Davies in ruck has got better as the season progressed and with the return of Cade Scott and Sean Ryan to the on-ball brigade mid-year the Pies midfield has a strong look about it.
Rory Edwards on a wing has also been consistent all year and is expected to be a key player for the Pies.
Up Forward the strong marking Jackson Paynter and Cam Ferguson have been excellent in the marking duels, with Paynter at CHF a good lead and he does possess a leap while Ferguson uses his big body to advantage. Cooper Crowell is another solid player who knows where the goals are and with Charlie Thorpe across half forward the Pies have a few other options going forward.
Flitting around at the feet of the big forward targets are Sam Mehari, Jonty MacDougall and Abu Kante and Kante booted 4 goals last week and will be confident of a few more in this match.
Coach Dallas Gallagher has his side playing good positive football at the right time of the year and the Pies might be better suited to the big Surfers ground than Wilston Grange, who have a big team but may lack the pace of the Pies.
The winner gets a crack at Palm Beach- Currumbin in the Second Semi Final next week while the loser gets a second chance against the winner of the Broadbeach-Morningside clash, also to be played on Saturday.
QAFL Qualifying Final: Western Magpies Colts v Wilston Grange at Surfers Paradise on Saturday, August 24th at 09.15 am (Note earlier starting time)
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