Wandin has booked its place in the 2024 Outer East Premier Division Seniors Final with a preliminary final win over local rivals Woori Yallock, whose Under 18s were also beaten out in their Grand Final against Mt Evelyn the day prior.
The Dogs will tackle Narre Warren in a repeat of the 2023 decider on Saturday 21 September at the Rob Porter Recreation Reserve in Officer.
Woori Yallock Senior Coach Brendan Donovan said it was disappointing results for the Unders and Seniors this weekend.
“On Sunday, the Officer Reserve looked in perfect condition, with some injury and unavailability the Tigers looked to go a bit quicker, however credit where credit is due, Wandin were just tougher, quicker and made the most of their opportunities,” he said.
“Woori was second to the footy and undisciplined losing field position and not being able to build pressure, there weren’t many highlights [for Woori], however a few of the younger brigade stood out with daring footy.”
“Wandin has earned the right to take on Narre next week and for Woori, we have a bit of soul-searching to do and to show a willingness to learn from the mistakes.”
It was also the second year running that the two sides met in a preliminary final as well, with Wandin’s comfortable victory last year setting the stage for their premiership romp over the Magpies last time around.
From Wandin’s point of view, the Leiwyn Jones and Taylor Gibson match-up was always going to be pivotal, and the Wandin full back who had the better of the league’s leading goalkicker, Wandin’s midfield was able to create pressure that impacted the Woori entries but it seemed every time Gibson looked like marking a fist would arrive and the ball would spear away.
After half time, Wandin’s run became too difficult for Woori to contain with the expanses of the Officer ground providing them with room to test the Woori defence and with the likes of Van Duuren, Bruzzese and Jaworski being as efficient as they were it became too difficult to contain.
Final scores Woori Yallock 8.5, 53 defeated by Wandin 15.8, 98. Top Tigers were Baylin Spencer, Jak Ryan, Liam Odea, Oscar Simpson, Joel Smith and Jordan Williams. Top Dogs on the day were Leiwyn Jones, Patty Bruzzese, Aaron Mullett, Harrison van Duuren, Charlie Wood and Todd Garner.
Woori Yallock’s Under 18 side took on a Mt Evelyn outfit they’d seen mixed results against throughout the year having recorded a draw, a 61-point win, a 26-point win and a 10-point loss (in a qualifying final) against the Rovers outfit in 2024.
“In tough conditions on Saturday, the Under-18s took on Mt Evelyn and in a repeat of the second semi and Mt Evelyn came away with a solid victory,” Donovan said.
“Mt Evelyn was able to settle better and hit the scoreboard, it felt like the young Tigers were chasing the tail. it was a bitter way to finish the year which has been a year of growth and opportunity, with so many of the older boys getting senior opportunities it allowed the young fellas more game time, credit goes to Scott and his coaching crew for a successful year and they will bounce back better next year.”
Final scores Mt Evelyn 7.6, 48 defeated Woori Yallock 5.5, 35. Top Tigers were Archie Spencer, Mason O’Neill, Harvey Smith, Zeke Dewhurst-Sibley, Hamish Murphy and Hunter Ryan.
