Win and you’re in

The season of Beechworth’s senior footballers will be decided in the last game of the regular season as they host second-placed Barnarwartha. Following the final siren at Baarmutha Park on Saturday, the Bushrangers could find themselves as high as a double chance in finals in third or completely miss the postseason altogether. The tantalising final round was set up after a gritty 13-point win at Yackandandah, officially ending the finals hopes of the reigning premiers. It was a tense opening half with neither team taking full advantage on the scoreboard. In the third quarter, Beechworth rose to the occasion, breaking the deadlock and building a handy four-goal lead at the final change of ends. Yack came home hard in the last, but a massive defensive effort—led by Degan Dolny, who clunked intercept after intercept—kept them at bay. Liam Stephens battled strongly in the ruck against a tough combination, well supported by Tom Cartledge and the Fendyk brothers in the midfield, sealing a gutsy team win. Two goals each from Lachie Armstrong, Cartledge and Brenton Surrey did the job. Coach Jack Neil said it was pleasing to see his team play to the high stakes occasion, but still thinks they have their better footy ahead of them if they can make it through this week. “We were probably a little bit frustrated we didn't have the game put to bed by three quarter time,” he said. “It was the first game back for a few guys, so they were a bit rusty, but better for the long run.” Cam Fendyk and Kayde Surrey made successful returns from injury and immediately bolstered the side in key positions. Neil said having a full-strength side last Saturday was a relief, allowing him to implement a more balanced structure to support the team’s game style. While it was exciting to in the thick of the final part of the season, Neil said there was some frustration in knowing the team had been on the other end of one-kick matches this season. “One of those goes a different direction, which easily could have, we're not in this situation, we're probably locked in third,” he said. Beechworth’s last game against the Tigers turned out to be one of those narrow losses after the Bushrangers were ahead for a majority of the day, only to go down by two points. Neil said it would be a genuine 50/50 when the two teams meet again, with the Tigers also looking to seal their spot in the top three. “It sounds simple, but it's just the team that plays better for longer is going to be the one that wins,” he said. “They don’t play the game significantly better or anything, it’s an even matchup, but if we play the way we intend to, we should win.” If the Bushrangers fail to bring up a win this Saturday they could still play finals, but will need either Chiltern to beat Rutherglen or the winless Dederang-Mount Beauty to beat Thurgoona. Brad Fendyk will miss the regular season finale with a minor injury, but otherwise the Bushrangers will go in unchanged. Across the fence, Beechworth’s A grade will look to end their season on a high after going down to Yackandandah 50-43 last weekend. In a game of swinging momentum, the Bushrangers couldn’t keep touch with the Roos in the last quarter, extending their lead from three to seven after three-quarter-time. Rachael Cavallin was at her efficient best under the post converting 24 goals from her 24 shots, while Sarah Robinson was prolific as her shooting partner, finishing with 12 goals.

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