Warriors grab chance

Modewarre optimistic after win over ‘Seas

MODEWARRE co-coach John Meesen believes his side can draw on big-game experience as the Warriors prepare for their second grand final in three years this week.

Eleven players from the weekend’s preliminary final victory over Anglesea were a part of the club’s last grand final, a loss to Geelong Amateur in 2016.

That the club was able to rise to the top again so quickly says plenty about its personnel, many of whom will be driven by another opportunity to become a premiership player in the maroon and blue.

“I think it helps. There’s a number of us who have played senior grand finals, they might not have been at Modewarre … but we’ve got guys that are going to be cool in the crisis,” Meesen said.

“A grand final’s just another game, it’s just whoever settles first and whoever can stick to the process and take their opportunity.”

Standing in its way of the club’s first BFL premiership is Barwon Heads, the ladder leader that will go into the match as warm favourite. It will be the third time the two sides will have met in just over a month’s worth of football.

While recent results have been split, Meesen will be able to take learnings from both wins and losses against the Seagulls. But he admits “anything can happen” when it comes to grand final day.

“We know what makes us play well and we feel like we learnt a lot from the Barwon Heads game last week,” Meesen said.

“We played more the way that we want to play this week (against Anglesea, compared to last). If we bring that intensity and same work rate next week then we genuinely think we can win.”

The Warriors are in the rare, enviable position of having both their senior and reserves sides playing off in a grand final, which will undoubtedly have the small town of Moriac buzzing all week at the chance of history-making premiership success.

“I don’t think that (achievement) has happened before — the club’s been pretty starved of success,” Meesen said.

“We’ll take that in, we’ll review today’s game, but we’ve still got to build on today’s performance and try and take it out there and put our best foot forward.”

The versatility of Modewarre’s forward line was on show at Mortimer Oval, the victors sharing the goals between 10 individuals, none kicking more than two each.

That unpredictability could cause headaches for Barwon Heads defenders this week if a similar mentality of sharing the ball around is taken into the decider.

But where the game was won was ultimately in the midfield, Meesen and Nathan Ablett proving too dominant in the ruck for the ‘Seas, whose centremen were often resigned to having to try and shark the opposition’s taps.

“We think we’ve got a pretty good centre-bounce side; all our players play their role,” Meesen said.

“You might see me win the ruck and one of our players burst out, but he doesn’t get that ball unless the two other players are playing their role.

“We try and reward everyone in there and let everyone be acknowledged for their efforts.”