General News
31 August, 2023
Bounce back Bears end repeat hopes
DEFENDER KYAL Zass put in a relentless performance for Bears Lagoon Serpentine to be named best in Saturday’s first semi-final against Bridgewater. The Mean Machine went into immediate bustle mode from the opening bounce. But their first foray...
DEFENDER KYAL Zass put in a relentless performance for Bears Lagoon Serpentine to be named best in Saturday’s first semi-final against Bridgewater.
The Mean Machine went into immediate bustle mode from the opening bounce.
But their first foray forward was turned back by Zass for what would prove to be only the first time in the game.
Zass galvanised Serpentine’s defensive zone early, almost as quickly ending any hopes the Mean Machine had of replicating last season’s journey from underdog to grand finalist.
He was not on his own. Coach Justin Laird led the bounce back after a disappointing team performance against Pyramid Hill in the qualifying final.
Bridgewater did have the first score on the board when Harry McKinley and Emile Pavlich fed to ball forward to Brayden Stepien who kicked from a tight angle four minutes in. That was the ignition button for Serpentine who went straight down to James Rippendale for the first of what would be a handy five for the day.
What Zass was setting up in defensive turnovers, Rippendale would cap off up forward.
Bridgewater’s experienced finals players were fading after a dominant display against Inglewood the previous week. Donegan left the ground with suspected concussion.
It was left to the younger brigade - Nicholas Naughton and Harry McKinley in particular - to show grit and dash.
Some good old finals argey bargey did put some spark into Bridgewater late in the opening term.
A dash out of defence by Jean-Miguel Podosky, however, summed up fortunes in that opening 29 minutes, that was mostly controlled by Serpentine.
The Bears’ six-goal second term had Rippendale goaling within a minute of the centre bounce.
Callum Draper and Podosky were creating options and Nash Kemp added his name to the list of goalkickers that by final siren would include half the team.
Rippendale was electric around goal for the quarter, Bridgewater’s Ben Irvine in defence and McKinley unable to see their work in defence and across the midfield capped off.
There was Deja vu in the third term when Rippendale again bobbed up with an early goal followed by Draper running into an open square for equal success.
Naughton, Darcy Wood and McKinley battled hard in the quarter but the physical pressure from a week ago seemed to be catching up with the Mean Machine who lacked speed against what was proving to be an all-team contribution from Serpentine.
Kalem Paxton’s snap for goal mid-way in the quarter showed Serpentine had the confidence, and luck, to be big winners.
Another bit of argey bargey did not distract Serpentine this time, the Bears keeping play going, Laird dodging multiple weary Mean Machiners to goal.
Late goals to skipper Joshua Martyn and Charles Hindle merely putting some respect next to Bridgewater’s score.
The Mean Machine went on to outscore Serpentine in the final quarter four goals to two with one last roll of the season.
Serpentine played safe, the game in the bag, another big match to come in the preliminary final against Pyramid Hill.