PDL | Gallery | Strathmerton football, Katamatite netball lock in preliminary final places

The entertaining contest saw the Tigers in the box seat throughout the third quarter; however, a flick of the switch with the game on the line saw Strathmerton run out 10.8 (68) to 8.9 (57) winners.

As the final scoreline suggests it was neck and neck throughout the contest, with neither side able to kick clear at any break.

Yet when it mattered Strathmerton stood up, with the Bulldogs overrunning a fatigued Tigers outfit at the death.

Speaking after the game, Strathmerton co-coach Tim Looby said he was proud of the way his side clawed its way back into the contest.

“It was a real cut-throat, backs-against-the-wall final,” Looby said.

“They’re a big, contested side, a bit like us; that probably helped us, we knew we had to bring our game or the season’s over.

“We couldn’t be happier and it keeps our season alive.”

Matt Ryan, Jake Ellery and Adrian Crestani all stood out for Looby’s side, while Ben Bray, Nichol Clurey and Pat Horsburgh performed well for the Tigers.

Following a heavy defeat to Waaia in the qualifying final, the Bulldogs coach said his side had gone back to basics for its Katamatite match-up.

“We just really stripped it back today, back to enjoying our footy,” Looby said.

“Doing the absolute basics is what wins you finals, we didn’t change too much tactically, we just all bought in and got the result, but it gets even harder next week.”

The result sets up a clash with Tungamah in Rennie on Saturday afternoon, with the winner taking on either Waaia or Katunga in the grand final.

For Katunga a strong performance against Katandra in Yarroweyah on Saturday set up a Sunday afternoon clash with the Bombers in Tocumwal.

The 10.10 (70) to 7.11 (53) victory was sparked by a five-goal opening quarter, with the Swans hitting their targets, while the Kats could not find a major in the first term.

Katunga coach Damian Kennedy said it was a serious contest all day.

“We had a good start and had a lot of the footy in the second quarter as well and probably didn’t convert as well as we should’ve,” Kennedy said.

“Our resilience was really good on Saturday, we stood up to the challenge.”

As in the football, two dramatic games of A-grade netball provided plenty of entertainment for supporters.

After two close-fought qualifying finals, supporters were expecting more nail-biting action at the weekend — and that is what was delivered.

On Saturday, Katamatite bounced back from its qualifying final loss to Strathmerton, downing Katunga 43 to 37.

Meanwhile on Sunday, Picola United handed Waaia its second one-goal loss in a row, picking up a 37 to 36 win.

The Saturday afternoon contest at Yarroweyah could have gone either way, with an impressive period from the Tigers late in the final term building a six-goal margin.

Katamatite coach Tesslyn Saunders said the result was a reflection of the side’s season, with the team excited to keep its premiership hopes alive.

“Putting in the hard work early and having it pay off towards the end is fantastic,” Saunders said.

“We led the whole game, it did get to within one goal in the last quarter and we injected some fresh legs and were able to push it to six within the last three minutes.”

Saunders said Cassia Colbeck stood out for the Tigers with strong shooting and defensive efforts.

She explained that with a preliminary final match-up against Tungamah now confirmed, the Tigers would need to be at their best to make their way into the grand final.

“If we play well and can put four quarters together I’m confident,” she said.

“We lost to them by one during the season, so it’s going to be a tight game, I would suggest it’s probably going to go goal for goal, it’s just going to be whoever can hold their composure, which hopefully will be us.”

This weekend Katamatite will play Tungamah in Tocumwal on Sunday, while Strathmerton and Picola United will face off in Rennie on Saturday.