A GRADE: Hatherleigh d Port MacDonnell

Hatherleigh players are currently on cloud nine ahead of the final match in the 2023 Mid South Eastern Football League season.

They have earned a place in the “big dance” and will now play scorching-hot favourites and reigning premiers Kalangadoo in the MSEFL grand final at Port MacDonnell on Saturday.

It follows their 77-point thrashing of a disappointing Port MacDonnell in the preliminary final in good conditions at Robe last Saturday.

It means the two teams that last met each other in a grand final last year ago will face each other again to see who will lift the Wilf Sprengel premiership shield.

The Magpies are lining up for their fourth consecutive grand final but the Eagles will provide tough opposition given the way they played in the preliminary final.

It was the more desperate and committed brand of football of the blue-and-gold players which has earned them the chance to win their first A Grade premiership in a decade.

The Demons had been given a moral boost last weekend when first-year coach Josh Woodall had been named the Mail Medallist.

The weather forecasters had predicted good weather for the MSEFL preliminary final and they were spot-on in their statements.

Despite the three curtain-raisers and a wet winter, there were no muddy areas on the sand-based Robe Oval and it was in tip-top order.

Hatherleigh skipper Will Chay won the toss and he elected to boot to the southern (golf course) end of the Robe Oval which was favoured by a slight breeze.

The tone of the game was obvious from the get-go with star Hatherleigh recruit Tom Hutchesson being mowed down by an opponent inside three minutes of play.

Hutchesson had a brief spell on the sidelines but then returned and worked his way into the list of his team’s best by game’s end.

After 12 minutes of ultra-defensive play by both teams, Hatherleigh coach Gerard McGrath eventually broke the shackles and brought up the first six-pointer of the preliminary final.

Hatherleigh added a further four goals before quarter time with shots from Hutchesson, Brad Mitchell, Jack Skeer and Michael Telford bringing up the maximum result.

The only score posted by the Demons in the opening term was a rushed behind at the 20-minute mark and so they went into the first change30 points in arrears.

Hutchesson opened the goalscoring inside the first 60 seconds of the second term but a reply came within two minutes from Demon veteran Will MacDonald.

The Eagles dominated the remainder of the term but there were two unpleasant scenes.

There was an avoidable melee involving many players while McGrath suffered an accidental knee injury.

McGrath was stretchered from the ground and took no further part in the play.

The seasiders had registered only one goal and were 45 points in arrears at the long break.

A second-half fightback was anticipated as the Demons had won the minor premiership with only two losses.

Furthermore, the side had posted 16 goals on the Robe Oval only two months prior and in heavy conditions.

However, Hatherleigh players had other ideas as they added 2.6 and conceded just 1.2 to take an insurmountable 55-point buffer to the last change.

The final term was a formality with the Demons not registering a goal while the Eagles again added 4.3.

Once again, proceedings were marred by a melee involving many players.

The Eagles were being best served by newly-minted league Walker Medallist Jed Telfer while Telford also dominated in an on-ball role.

It was the best game that I have seen from Telford in an Eagles guernsey.

Mitchell recorded a game-high tally of five goals and missed some set-shots while Hutchesson was pure class in everything he did.

My best for Port MacDonnell were MacDonald, Wade Chant and Woodall.

The Demon did not have the run or confidence of their opponents and this was reflected in the final scores.

The Eagles had better teamwork and had the numbers at the fall of the ball.

Umpires Neil Webber, Adam Gilbert and Adam Maidment did well and had to really earn their fees due to the significant number of scuffles and melees.

Saturday’s crowd paid $13,206 at the gate and this was well up on the previous two finals and within a $1000 of the all-time record for a preliminary final.

League officials were pleased with Saturday’s gate takings given Robe’s distance from major population centres and the fact the two neighbouring leagues were playing their grand finals.

In the meantime, preparations are in full swing at the Port MacDonnell Oval in readiness for the grand final.

The Bay last hosted a season finale in 2013 when Kalangadoo ended a 13-year premiership drought.

The MSEFL umpires panel will have their final training run at Glencoe tonight (Tuesday) and then the appointments across all four grades will be announced by umpire’s director Neil Webber.

CURTAIN RAISERS

In the curtain-raisers, Port MacDonnell junior colts earned the right to contest the grand final on Saturday at Pot MacDonnell.

The minor premiers defeated Hatherleigh by 35 points and now they come up against Glencoe.

Port MacDonnell will also feature in the senior colts senior decider on their home ground.

The opposition will be Robe who edged out minor premiers Tantanoola by 20 points in the preliminary final.

Reserves minor premiers and reining premiers Hatherleigh won the right to defend their title by defeating Robe by 15 points in the closest game of the day.

As in 2022, the Reserves grand final will be contested between Hatherleigh and Kalangadoo.