There was solid action in the first round of the GFNL finals at West Oval over the weekend, with South Barwon beating Colac in the qualifying final on Saturday by 42 points.
Sth Barwon coach Mark Neeld said last Sunday’s game was a legitimate arm wrestle, particularly in the first half, but the Swans managed to keep the momentum up in the latter part of the third quarter and hold it for the final term.
“(Colac) had their noses in front early, we got back in front with never too great a discrepancy on the scoreboard for either side, so I think it was just a gradual build up and when we had momentum in that third quarter we managed to kick a couple,” Neeld said.
“On a couple of occasions you would think Colac was a certainty to kick a goal, but some amazing effort by our back six thwarted their efforts.”
Playing his 100th game, Jonty Broughton kicked four goals for the Swans, which Neeld described as a terrific performance for a preliminary final.
Sth Barwon now faces powerhouse St Mary’s as underdogs in the semi final on Saturday, but Neeld said the Swans were under no illusions about what they face.
“St Mary’s has been the dominant side in the Geelong Footy Netball League for quite a long time,” he said.
“They’ve won the last two premierships, they’re essentially unbackable favourites to win this one.
“They have really talented footballers right across their entire team.
“Essentially, we’re going to turn up, have a crack and see how we go.”
The first semi final between St Marys and Sth Barwon kicks off at West Oval at 2.10pm on Saturday.
