First XVIII Division One Grand Final Writeup
First XVIII Division One Grand Final – Prepared by Gordon Armstrong
Prince Alfred College 10.12 (72) d Sacred Heart College 7.8 (50)
Prince Alfred completed a fine season of top-tier school football with a convincing 22-point grand final win against Sacred Heart at Adelaide Oval on August 14.
Princes, which lost the 2022 final to Hearts, set up victory with a strong first quarter to lead 5.2 to 2.1 at quarter time and then held that buffer at half time, up 7.5 to 4.1.
The third quarter proved telling as Princes dominated the forward entries but wayward conversion in front of goal saw them kick 2.6 to 0.2, to lead 9.11 to 4.3 at the last change.
But Hearts weren’t prepared to let the game meander on to a big win for Princes, Hearts suddenly getting on top in the middle to send the ball forward.
Two quick goals to Hearts gave them a sniff early in the last quarter but Princes countered to hold Sacred Heart with neither side hitting the scoreboard at will.
A goal to Hearts virtually on the siren saw the margin finish at 22 points, Princes ending Hearts’ bid for three straight premierships.
PAC coach David Oatey said it was an excellent finish to what had been a top season for the team.
“Our tackle pressure was exceptional and we took away Sacred Heart’s run and carry,’’ Oatey said.
“We kept the ball in our front half for most of the quarter and Naite Slaide and Oscar Finnis made some team lifting tackles. It was a very exciting game, our kicking game was giving us yardage and Sacred Heart was using the ball really well with handball and short kicks.
“Our ability to compete really strongly in the air and then crumb and tackle with aggression meant we had a good lead at three quarter time. Sacred Heart made some positional changes and it paid dividends and they scored the first two goals of the last quarter.
“But our team was able to stay composed, absorb their pressure and win some tough contests in defensive 50 and then get the ball long to let the forwards go to work.
“It was really satisfying to watch how well the players were able to control the speed of the game in the final 15 minutes to ensure they held on for a fantastic victory by 22 points.
“It was a great opportunity for the players to measure how good they are in this competition and to win against a great opposition was a hug confidence booster leading into the intercol.’’
Jay Polkinghorne (four goals) won the Colin Steinert medal for best on ground with four goals, his high marking and crashing the packs a feature.
Rome Burgoyne was sublime across half back, winning many contested ground balls, his quickness and kicking at speed to the forwards elite.
Louie Montgomery was outstanding as an intercept marker across half back, regularly putting his body in the line of combat to win a contested mark or make a spoil.
Taj Murray was a force in ruck, Matt LeRay led well as skipper, while Will Prescott used his speed to make some super tackles and was also very clean on the ground ball.
Polkinghorne led the scorers with four goals, while Wil Thomas, Naite Slade, Eli Anders, Taj Murray and Hayden Willmott kicked one goal each.
Hearts’ coach Jon Symonds said it was unfortunate the side could not play its best, a slow start hurting.
“Disappointingly, we were unable to reverse this result in a game that saw our opponents get away to a flying start booting the first two goals of the game in the first five minutes,’’ Symonds said.
“We started the second quarter brightly to kick the first two goals and reduce the margin to seven points.
“However, that was the closest we got, the margin ballooning out to 43 points early in the last quarter before showing some fighting spirit to battle the game out hard and reduce the margin to a respectable yet disappointing 22-point loss.
“While we competed hard and played the game out to the final siren we were unable to match our opponent’s aerial dominance and disciplined structure.’’
Hearts will now focus on its final game of the season in its annual intercol game against Rostrevor at Norwood Oval on Wednesday, August 21.
Best for Hearts were Carlton-bound Lucas and Ben Camporeale (two goals), Jett Reid, Luke Candy, Tom Simpson (two goals), Kieren Scannell, Will Rooney and Tom Darmody.
In the Catholic girls final Sacred Heart accounted for St Michaels’s 10.6 (66) to 1.3 (9).
Immanuel College took out the boys division two grand final in a tight contest against Pembroke, 9.12 (66) to 9.4 (58).
Final Div I game: St Michael’s College 15.9 (99) d Westminster College 9.10 (64)
While not competing for a cup St Michael’s College and Westminster played out their seasons as part of the division one comp, St Michael’s proving too strong by 35 points. St Micks led by two goals at half time, edged out to 30 points up at three quarter time before both teams finished relatively even. St Micks’ coach Brett Ebert said it was an excellent finish to the season, his team thriving under the competition.
“It was great to win our division one finals game and finish the season on a high,’’ Ebert said. “It has been a solid year for the SMC team and we have really enjoyed being able to play against the best colleges in the state and give our all.’’ Best for St Michael’s were Zane Peucker (two goals), Albert Ebert, Logan Hughes (five goals), Archie Walsh, Lachlan Sands (two goals) and Logan Rose.