2022 Grand Final Preview
All roads lead to one of regional
Australia’s most outstanding sporting facilities this Sunday for grand final
day in the SS&A OMFNL for 2022.
Both senior deciders in netball and
football will feature Wangaratta and Yarrawonga in front of an expected massive
crowd, in expected perfect conditions. The Lavington oval has never looked
better, and will produce a playing surface equal to any in regional Australia.
The lead-in to Grand Final day has been fever pitch, with the OMFNL presentation evening being conducted on Wednesday at the SS&A Club, Albury. The Toni Wilson medal for the league best and fairest in A grade netball was won for a record equalling third time by North Albury coach Emily Browne. The star midcourter had previously won the medal in 2012 at Lavington as a 16 yr old, and then again at North Albury in 2017 season.
Browne clinched three votes in the final round to finish on 30 votes, holding off Corowa Rutherglen defender Sophie Hanrahan who has won two Toni Wilson medals herself.
Corowa Rutherglen’s Grace Senior, the league’s leading goal scorer, came third on 20 votes. The only other player to win three medals is Lindy Singleton in 1993, 1995 & 1996.
Wodonga Raiders Zoe Prentice took out the Under 17 best and fairest with a whopping 44 votes. Corowa Rutherglen’s Lisa Tobin took out the B Grade award for best and fairest.
Ellie Ainsworth from Wodonga took out the Netball Rising Star Award, while Albury Tigers utility Isaac McGrath won the Football Rising Star.
One of the pre vote favourites, Leigh Masters of Yarrawonga, took out the Morris Medal on 19 votes, two ahead of last years winner Cal Moore from Wangaratta. He became the first Pigeon to win the award since Tyler Bonat shared the award in 2016 with Wodonga’s Matt Seiter.
Yarrawonga senior games record holder Xavier Leslie took out the Leo Burke Award in the seconds to go with his 2013 Morris Medal win. Last years winner Mitch Booth from Rovers was runner up. Albury Tigers Charlie Lappin took out the Leo Dean Award in the Under 18’s four votes ahead of Wodonga Raiders Nelson Bowey. Former Corowa Rutherglen president Graham “Kiwi” Hosier was the winner of the Peter Bruhn Award for Volunteer of the Year.
All the attention now has turned to the Grand Finals with Wangaratta starting a favourite in the football against Yarrawonga. The overall margin between the two sides in the three games is two points in favour of Yarrawonga, who are the only team to have beaten the Magpies this year.
After winning the decider at Lavington in 2017 against Albury, the Pies then lost back-to-back Grand Finals in 2018 and 2019 against Albury and Lavington respectively.
The Pies are likely to include star utility Daniel Sharrock after he missed the Second Semi Final win over the Pigeons.
Yarrawonga have some huge decisions
to make at the selection table, mainly around star onballer Michael Gibbons
(hamstring) and possibly Harry Wheeler with a shoulder concern.
The key to the Grand Final could
well be the Wangaratta brains trust working out just what is it that makes
Yarrawonga such a tough nut to crack. The Pigeons are very physical around the
stoppages and rarely let easy transition from these plays to opposition runners
and playmakers. While Wangaratta have the obvious tall fire power up forward
with Ben Reid, Cal Moore and Michael Newton the Pigeons do it a bit different.
Leigh Williams the leading
goalkicker is flanked and supported by goal sneaks Bailey Fraunfelder, Jess
Koopman and Nick Fothergill.
Red hot favourite Yarrawonga will
be going for its eighth A Grade netball premiership since 2009, while
Wangaratta will be aiming to make it three in a row. The Magpies are the
defending premiers from the last two Grand Finals and have come from the
elimination to take on the Pigeons.
The Pigeons at full strength were
always going to be the team to beat, and this is exactly how things have played
out, with two convincing finals wins leading into the big one. Laura Ryan has
been a star since joining the Pigeons, while the veteran pairing up front of
Sarah Senini, Maddi Allan and Bridget Cassar is extremely potent.
Amy and Issy Byrne have been in
great form for Wangaratta, but the big question is around the fitness of star
goal shooter Georgia Clark. Clark left the court late in last weeks preliminary
final and her fitness and ability to impact will have Pies supporters hoping
for the best.
A reminder that if you can’t make
the game, all the action will be Live Streamed via OPTUS O&M TV with
commentary available from 1494 2AY and 1566 3NE. OAK FM will broadcast the
Senior & Reserves matches, and will be on air from 10.30am.
