SAINTS WIN NAILBITER
Minor premiers finally book their positions in TFL grand finals
FOOTBALL: They took the long way round, but minor premiers St Alban’s and Willowburn have booked their spots in their respective TFL grand finals.
After losing an extra-time thriller last weekend, men’s minor premiers St Albans left it late to seal a 2-1 win over Rockville Rovers.
In the women’s semi-final, a dominant 15-minute period either side of halftime proved decisive for Willowburn.
After a cagey opening, the Magpies went on to beat Hawks 5-1.
FOOTBALL: The thrill of seeing his team go through to the grand final will be offset by the despair of knowing he won’t line up in the big game for Frederick Pfeiffer.
St Alban’s beat Rockville 2-1 to advance to the final, but they did it the hard way after Pfeiffer was shown a straight red card in the 44th minute.
A fast-starting Rockville was first on the board with Maysar Qaso opening the scoring in the 13th minute – his 20th goal in 19 games.
“They (Rockville) are a really tough team to play if you let them get a roll on,” St Albans coach Danny Lawson said. “They’re a confidence team. “The trick is to try and limit their opportunities as much as possible.”
Despite the early goal setback and Pfeiffer’s dismissal shortly before halftime, Lawson was pleased with his team’s efforts.
“We had a really solid talk at halftime,” he said.
“We talked about the fact that this was it – the end of our season if we didn’t go out there and get the result.
“Losing last week to Willowburn and then going behind early against Rockville was the tough way to do things, but we got there in the end, and I think the boys will take a lot of confidence into the final.”
Ashley Freier picked the perfect time to score his first goal of the season, converting from the penalty spot in the 62nd minute, and Menphys-Reyne Smith scored the winner five minutes from time.
Magpies fly high
Willowburn shook off the shock off their first loss in 19 games last weekend to book their spot in the grand final.
After a cagey opening 25 minutes, Willowburn skipper Kiama Gray broke the deadlock with a quality kick shortly before the half-hour mark.
Hawks were the next to score with Bridget Fraser (41st minute) levelling the scores, but the Magpies were not to be denied.
A devastating 15 minutes either side of halftime ultimately helped Magpies seal a 5-1 win.
Courtney Morris (43rd) and Chantal Frohloff (47th, 53rd) took the game away from Hawks with Morris adding her second in the 66th minute.