GRAND FINAL
Killarney v Terrigal
In a rematch of the 2020 BPL First Grade Grand Final, Killarney and Terrigal will meet once again as the reigning Premiers Terrigal look to end Killarney’s historical and unbeaten season in the final match of the year.
Killarney will enter the Grand Final well rested after having a week’s rest due to the League Champions getting a 1-0 win over Kanwal in the Major Semi-Final two weeks ago. Their clash with the Bulls was an intense and gruelling match but Killarney played against 10 men for the majority of the match after Kanwal’s keeper was shown a straight red card after committing a foul on Terriers attacker Adam Woodbine. Adam Woodbine, the 2022 Golden Boot winner, was the only one to score in that fixture as he steered Killarney to their sixth consecutive Grand Final. Woodbine finished the year with 13 goals to wrap up the Golden Boot award as Killarney will once again be looking for his left foot to produce goals this Saturday. Killarney not only boasts plenty of Grand Final experience but within the squad they have two Andrew French Medallists in Declan Drake (2020) and Andrew Klijn (2019). The Andrew French Medal is chosen by Andrew French and is awarded to the Man of the Match in the First Grade Grand Final.
Killarney will enter this weekend with maximum confidence as Chris Ackerley’s side recorded history this season being the only team in BPL history to finish the regular season with 18 wins from 18 games. This winning streak has been extended to 19 after their win over Kanwal which booked their place in the Grand Final. Having recorded two wins over this Terrigal side this season, Killarney will enter the bout as favourites as no surprise but as they learnt in 2020, anything can happen in a Grand Final. As a whole this season, Killarney have only conceded 10 goals in 19 games as captain Sam Kirk and his centre-half counterpart Adam Smith have been a fortress all season against the best attackers the Central Coast has to offer. Although they have plenty of finals experience, Killarney will still look to their more experienced players such as Andy Klijn and the Hall brothers Matt and Ethan to set the tone early in their favour.
When asked about getting revenge for their 1-0 loss in the 2020 Grand Final, Chris Ackerley stated, “It’s not really a matter of revenge as both sides have major changes from the last grand final we played in 2020. As with any other game this year, we are just focused on what we need to do to win.”
Ackerley also spoke highly of the opposition ahead and how he is anticipating a tough match come Saturday. “Terrigal are a good side who under Griff have improved every season and will be doing their utmost to defend their previous grand final win. Expecting a hard-fought game with both sides going at one another for the full 90 minutes hopefully no extra time. It will be played in the right spirit with both sides having a lot of mutual respect for one another.”
In recent performances, It seems like Terrigal has clicked at the best time of the year as the O’lads have executed their game plan to near perfection during the 2022 Finals Series. Finishing the regular season in third place meant that Terrigal could not afford to slip up in any of their last two games as the reigning Premiers looked to keep their crown. Terrigal’s first test in the Finals was when they met Southern Ettalong in the Minor Semi-Final. After scoring the opening goal in the second half, Terrigal couldn’t hold on to their lead as they conceded late which forced the game into extra time. The game looked destined to head to penalties as the final minute loomed but one last chance fell to the feet of Tyson Cosgrove who made no mistake of his chance to keep Terrigal’s season and Grand Final hopes alive.
This past weekend when they met Kanwal, Terrigal from the first whistle looked determined and it showed as they controlled the majority of the first half but were unable to capitalise on any chances until the second half when Stuart Adams opened the scoring early in the second period. Adams was an instrumental part in Terrigal’s win and the two-time BPL Player of the Year seems to be hitting his season-best form in recent weeks. Adams set up Terrigal’s second goal which was well finished by Mark Partridge and even their captain Jai McNamara got in on the action, scoring Terrigal’s last goal to solidify their 3-1 victory. However, Terrigal did not leave the match fully unscathed as Trent Vegter has to be substituted in the opening half with an injury that might rule him out for this weekend. Terrigal will also be without the important Tyson Cosgrove who flies out of the country this week as Martyn Griffiths may have two big spots to fill come Saturday. However, Martyn Griffiths and Terrigal know what it takes to beat this team in a Grand Final as they did in 2020 when they recorded a 1-0 win over the Terriers in a very back-and-forth game, expect another tight encounter come Saturday.
Martyn Griffiths mentioned how incredible of an achievement making the Grand Final is not only for his players but the club as a whole. “It’s a remarkable achievement for the players and everyone involved at the Club to make back-to-back Grand Finals. It was the first time for the club back in 2020 and to emulate that this year is so pleasing, and it’s going to be another fabulous occasion and something Sharon Baxter and this massive club deserve. Ackers has done a tremendous job at Killarney not only for this year but has built this up over a period of 13 years to get where they are now, a side which other clubs have to aspire to. We have to beat a team that has won 19 consecutive games and they go into the game as favourites, but it was the same back in 2020 and the players knew then and know now what they have to do to repeat the same outcome.”
Griffiths also spoke on how they must continue with their momentum and if they can perform to their ability, they will be a hard team to beat. “We have performed very well in the two Final series games against Southern and last weekend against Kanwal and building up good momentum. We are reaching the heights of the style of football we like to play and executing that to the level that I know our players can perform at. If we can continue that this weekend, we won’t be far away from keeping our crown of reigning premiers. It’s going to be a great day of football and no doubt a very close and tough game, as it usually is against Killarney, but bring on 4 pm Saturday where we hope we can keep the trophy in the cabinet and paint the town Orange”
MATCH OFFICIAL – Trent Dickeson
