In-form Supersaints set sights on putting end to Eagles’ reign
ST ALBANS coach Sonia Mullane concedes her side must take a whole new mindset into Saturday’s grand final in a bid to overcome the unconquerable Newtown & Chilwell.
As the Supersaints booked their place in the GFNL decider with a five-goal preliminary final victory over a gallant St Joseph’s at Kardinia Park on Saturday, Mullane stressed her side was up against it to overcome an Eagles team that has not lost since 2012.
“If we can go in there with a different attitude and mindset, I think we can push them,” Mullane said after the 50-45 win in which Tharjini Sivalingam shot 44 goals. T. Sivalingam 44, M. Gray 6. S. Hickman 24, G. Clark 21.
T. Sivalingam, A. Akec, N. Akec. E.J. Post, S. Hickman, G. Clark.
“Getting over the line is going to be difficult, but if we can push them, I’d be happy with that. Then hopefully that gets them thinking a little bit differently and it works in our favour. Hopefully they can crumble and we can take it out, but it’s going to be a very big ask, that’s for sure.”
Emily Post and Simone Hickman kept St Joseph’s firmly in the contest, but the Supersaints were able to counter through the efforts of Anger Akec and Nyibol Akec.
Unbeaten for seven years, Newtown & Chilwell thumped St Albans by 41 goals in the second semi-final, forcing the Supersaints into a preliminary final against a Joeys side that took confidence from a strong win over Colac.
St Albans started sluggishly against St Joseph’s, trailing by a goal at quarter-time, before rallying to steal back the lead at half-time. The margin was five goals in the Supersaints’ favour at the final change, with Mullane making a few moves at the main break to give her side a spark to shake off the dogged Joeys.
“The line-up that we had on the court didn’t match what Joeys were doing,” Mullane said. “So we made changes. We also had Jasmine Fraser, who hadn’t played against Joeys, and she was trying to get used to the game and how we were trying to run.
“We went back to the lineup that we played against them before, so we took Jasmine off and put Bess (Schnioffsky) back into goal keeper and put Anger (Akec) into goal defence. That had an immediate effect.”
St Joseph’s continued to push the Supersaints, but with a couple of mistakes under pressure, Mullane’s outfit was able to hold on. “We’re thrilled to be in a grand final,” she said. “It was a hard-fought win, tough from start to finish. We were down at quarter-time, but then up at half-time and we just held on with a couple of intercepts in the last quarter.”