FINAL
Kanwal 1 – 3 Terrigal
Terrigal FC progress to their second consecutive First Grade Grand Final with a clinical display against Kanwal as the defending Premiers will now look to retain their crown when they meet Killarney in the Grand Final next Saturday.
Being the first Final Kanwal has made it their BPL history, the question was always going to be how the Bulls players would handle the occasion. Unfortunately, the occasion and intense pressure applied by Terrigal seemed to get the better of Kanwal. Terrigal started the brighter of the two teams with Stuart Adams being instrumental in their proceedings as the two-time BPL player of the year is reaching his season-best form at the right time of the season. Adams had a powerful shot blocked well by a Kanwal defender and later saw his shot hit the crossbar as Terrigal couldn’t convert any of their multiple first-half chances. Kanwal would lose one of their influential players, Bayley Appo, to an injury sustained in the opening 10 minutes. O’lads Trent Vegter also went down injured after falling awkwardly around the 23-minute mark and could be a doubt for the Grand Final as he was replaced by Justin Hunt, who performed admirably after playing 90 minutes in the game prior. Terrigal dominated for the majority of the opening half, but Kanwal slowly grew into the game as they looked to hit Terrigal on the counter, but the backline of McNamara, Pearce, Cosgrove, and Hunt defended solidly and snuffed out any of Kanwal’s threats. Likewise, up the other end, any half chances that fell to Terrigal’s striker Mahkye Brownlie and Ben Flakus, the Kanwal defence was able to keep them at bay as the two teams entered the break with the scores locked at 0-0.
The break for Kanwal served as an opportunity to regroup and hopefully come out for the second half with confidence that they were still well and truly in the game. However, the second period didn’t begin well for the Bulls when a loose pass at the back from their central defender was intercepted by Stuart Adams and the Terrigal midfielder glided past the Kanwal defender to slide home the opening goal with a neat and tidy finish. Another injury concern to Kanwal saw Zac Johnson leave the field and Ryan Walker needing to rearrange his backline. After grabbing the opening goal, Terrigal was now in a dominant mood and goal scorer turned provider as Stuart Adam’s impressively found Mark Partridge open on the right flank and the winger riffled the ball into the back of the net to secure Terrigal’s second goal of the day. Kanwal as they have done throughout the season didn’t lay down as their coach was forced to make some tactical changes with the hope of being able to get his side back into the game. The Bulls were successful in their campaign of getting back into the contest after a nice cross was neatly finished by James Scott from close range which took the scoreline to 2-1. Terrigal kept probing and a free kick led to the Kanwal goalkeeper dropping the ball which was pounced on by the Terrigal captain Jai McNamara who converted to restore his side’s 2-goal lead and effectively kill off the game. Kanwal battled to the end but was just no match for Terrigal on the day as the score finished 3-1.
Ryan Walker had a mixed bag of emotions after seeing defeat, he was proud of the team and the whole squad this season, coming top two in all three grades, but he was disappointed not getting to reach the Grand Final. “Once you get in a position to reach the grand final you want to win it, and anything less is disappointing. Good luck to Terrigal, they really took it to us today and put us under pressure all night. If they can continue that level of performance next week in the grand final, it will be an extremely close game. Good luck to both sides in the grand final next week. Hopefully, we can come back bigger, stronger, and hungrier next year to make that grand final.”
Martyn Griffiths had very high praise for the opposition who had a great season. “Firstly, congratulations on a brilliant season from Ryan and his Kanwal squad. They have a good blend of youth and experience and have had a cracking year in all 3 grades.” When reflecting on his side, Martyn was over the moon with their terrific performance. “Unlucky for our young reserve grade today who have grown throughout the season under Dan Murace, but just fell short in the 88th minute, which is a heartbreaker. In 1st Grade, it was another outstanding performance from the team today. The back 4 and Tion as a 6 were brilliant, and special mention must be given to Justin Hunt who played 160 minutes of football today and was awesome. Trent Vegter went down injured on 20 minutes and we will have to assess him later this week. When we tick and move the ball as quick and precise as we did today, we are a match for any team. We will have to replicate this performance and go above and beyond to beat a team who have won 19 games in a row. But hey football is a funny old game and who doesn’t love an underdog!”
MATCH OFFICIAL – Mark Roberts
Division 1
Finals Results
