Bright's ticket secured, Lions roar on

Bright are through to their third consecutive senior grand final after a thrilling win in Saturday’s qualifying final. Up against minor premiers and reigning champions Greta, the Mountain Men held firm against a late surge to run out winners by seven points, 11.10 (76) to 10.9 (69). A rematch of the 2024 grand final, the pressure and intensity were palpable as the umpire raised the ball to start the match. Pressure on the ball carrier was immense early, as the match started off scrappy and a touch sloppy before both outfits settled into it. Bright drew first blood, with Josh Hudghton snapping a goal from a stoppage deep in the Greta defensive 50. Cy Banks added to the pain with a long bomb from outside the arc, favoured by the bounce. While Clyde Baker medallist James McClounan put the Blues on the board seven minutes in, Bright answered back shortly after through Wayland Wales. Momentum was flowing the way of the Mountain Men, who kept Greta to their lowest first quarter score since round eight, with Bright up 4.2 (26) to 1.3 (9) at quarter time. However, as the good teams tend to do, Greta found a way back into the contest. They kicked four goals to two through the second term to sit just four points behind at the major break. The third quarter was immensely contested, but Bright was able to boot true to lead by 17 points heading into the final term. Both teams traded goals throughout the fourth, with Bright kicking their last of the day with over 10 minutes to go. Greta rose to the challenge, surging the ball forward to manufacture the vital goals, booting three on the trot, but it was too little, too late. Bright coach Michael Quirk said it was a tremendous achievement to make their third consecutive grand final, and it came down to every single player on the park playing their role. “You can talk about all of your structures and set-ups and all of that sort of stuff, but it comes back to beating your man and winning those moments that count the most,” he said. “We always knew it was going to be a very tough challenge, we were up for a four-quarter performance going against the reigning premiers, they were top of the ladder at the end of the year, and we know how good they’ve been throughout the year. “We just had to make sure we put our plans into action – you can talk about it as much as you want, but we stressed every player had to play their role, and we thought we did that quite well throughout the game.” For Greta, Cam Green was named best on for his almost-seamless shutdown role on Bright centurion goalkicker Cooper Thomason, keeping the gun forward to just the three goals. James McClounan still had an impact on the game through the midfield, while Lachie Kennett and Bryce Hooper worked hard all day. Bright ruckman Joe Gray took out best on honours for his side, while Josh Hudghton’s influence on the game at stoppage was immense. “We know who their best players are, and you’ve just got to put time and energy into them, and nullify them as best you can,” Quirk said. “They can have their moments in the game, but hopefully our moments are longer than theirs. “I think we got our match-ups pretty right, with [Sam] Buckley on [Frazer] Judd, Reuben Jamieson on [Harry] Moran, and Kieren [Jamieson] on [Cody] Crawford – Crawford went on the football and Luke [Quirk] played on him." Bright also progressed in the earlier reserves qualifying final after hammering Greta by 47 points, 11.12 (78) to 3.13 (31). Greta’s season is not over, with the Blues to take on Whorouly in a preliminary final on Saturday. The Lions eliminated Milawa in their Sunday clash at Whorouly Recreation Reserve with a comprehensive four-quarter effort, 16.6 (102) to 10.9 (69). Whorouly’s Michael Newton was the superstar in the forward line, booting nine of his side’s 10 goals by half-time, and finishing with 11 for the match. Newton’s haul sees him overtake fellow Lion Richard Leahy’s record of 147 goals in a single season (including finals) from 2012 – the new record sits at 149, with at least one more week to further distance himself from the pack. The supply up the field came thick and fast early, with Whorouly turning a two-goal lead at quarter time into a 24-point margin by the half. Milawa was not making it easy – their pressure on the ball carrier and stifling structure saw them win multiple holding the ball free kicks, running down players as they struggled to clear the ball. Despite the unyielding pressure, Whorouly kept scoring, kicking 6.2 to 4.5 in the second half to secure their place in the prelim by 33 points. In the reserves, Bonnie Don progressed after a dominant first half saw them defeat Milawa 9.9 (63) to 5.6 (39).

Bright's ticket secured, Lions roar on

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