Scoop Reviews Football Finals Week 1 | Presented by BACK IN PLAY
The first week of finals brought the intensity and quality one would expect from the best teams in the competition with plenty of big results from Saturday and Sunday.
Darley
def.
East Point
An all-conquering Darley outfit has booked their place into a semi final showdown with Sunbury following a 29-point win over East Point.
With goals coming at a premium in swirly conditions, Devils’ pair Nick Hind (four goals) and Andy Azzopardi (three goals) generated the much-needed separation coach Dan Jordan was after to keep a willing Kangas outfit at arm’s length off an interrupted preparation.
Hind's offensive qualities proved a major headache for Joe Carmody's Kangas while the intercept marking and distribution of Mace Cousins and Billy Myers restricted East Point to their lowest score of the season.
For the record, the Kangas’ previous lowest score (52) was at their last meet with the Devils at Darley Park in Round 14.
While the potency forward for the Kangas was duly noted on paper, their inability to lower their eyes upon entry inside 50 and hit up formidable targets in Jacob Brown (one goal), Bryson McDougall (one goal) and Jarrod Joyce was validated with their miserly returns on the scoreboard.
The Kangas welcomed back Matty Johnston, Alex Molan and Joel Van Meel off lengthy breaks while Bryson McDougall, Brodie Willems and Jack Jeffrey were 'second up' from extended layoffs of their own raising doubts over the fitness levels of the group and genuine claims of upsetting the Devils whose winning streak across the competition extended to 18.
The contest was fierce for the most part, with a lot of ball played on the 'inside' making it difficult to manufacture a typical highlights reel to complement the occasion.
Devils’ midfield trio Brett Bewley, Luther Baker and Hind were 'blue collar' by nature and dug in for the afternoon wrestle with Mickitja Rotumah-Onus and brothers Jordy and Matt Johnston.
Given the low scoring nature of the affair, deciding the game was always going to come down to moments and it was Hind and Andy Azzopardi combining for seven goals that proved the difference on the scoreboard, while the resistance shown behind the ball from Devils’ duo Cousins and Myers was telling.
East Point will surely have a few sore bodies coming out of the game and it wouldn't surprise if there was a change or two ahead of their first semi final with Melton this weekend.
Darley on the other hand will seek clarity on a foot injury to key moving utility Mickey Edwards who left the field in the first term and did not return after quarter time.
STATS THAT MATTERED
Jordan Johnston (East Point) - 35 disposals, 15 contested possessions, 12 marks
Brett Bewley (Darley) - 36 disposals, 19 contested possessions, 13 clearances
Mace Cousins (Darley) - 22 disposals, 15 intercept possessions, 11 marks
COACHES’ VERDICT
Dan Jordan (Darley)
"Thrilled to kickstart our finals campaign with a hard-fought win over quality opposition. There was plenty of star power on display and not easy to get the game on your terms for long periods. East Point certainly came to play and made us earn the win despite an interrupted preparation for some of their troops. Credit to Joe getting the boys up, they will be better for the run. We're not the finished product yet, having derived some key learnings and areas of improvement from the win. We look forward to another opportunity to progress when we take on Sunbury next week. We will recover and prepare as best we can for our most important game of the year thus far. Should be a cracker!
Joe Carmody (East Point)
"Darley were too polished with ball in hand. Their pressure forced us to hack the ball forward and they were able to intercept too often in our forward half. Definitely the team to beat this year."
Sunbury
def.
Ballarat
Sunbury look to be peaking at the right time of the season after a dominant 71-point win over Ballarat in Saturday's elimination final at Maddingley Park.
It was the sixth straight win for the Lions who gain the prized double chance ahead of a mouth-watering qualifying final for the ages against old rival Darley.
For the record, the six game winning streak for the Lions has been by an impressive average of 38.5 points.
The Lions won all four quarters, their first of the season in games not involving the winless Lakers which would have pleased coach Matt White no end, complemented by the fact his group knowingly got through unscathed.
Footy can be cruel sometimes, and it's likely one Lion in the pride will make way for solid defender Myles Gollant who must be in the mix for a recall having missed footy since Round 16 of the home and away season.
Unfortunately for the Swans they were never in the hunt as the separation on the scoreboard essentially grew for the duration.
Quarter time leads of 14, 32 and 51 points were racked up by the Lions before the final margin of 71 at the final siren.
Lions’ forward trio Jake Sutton, Daniel Johnston and Patrick Scanlon all booted three goals to combine for 9 of the 15 recorded while midfielder Jake Egan did no harm to his stocks finishing with two.
Egan was considered best by a handful of ‘experts’ ahead of Tyson Lever, Fraser Ampulski, Ben Cameron, Nathan Doyle and the ever-consistent Sutton who has 18 multiple goal returns this year from as many games.
For Ballarat, it wasn't their day at all having just the two goals to their name at the final change.
In the end just four Swans could hit the scoreboard on the major front.
Tristan Maple had plenty of the ball again while Harry Butler and Fraser Perkins maintained their high level of form and consistency right to the very end.
Given the health of the Lions’ list, it's fair to suggest they're the unofficial number two seed behind the Devils in the race for the coveted BFNL Premiership flag.
STATS THAT MATTERED
Tyson Lever (Sunbury) - 27 disposals, 15 intercept possessions, 10 marks
Jake Egan (Sunbury) - 30 disposals, 16 contested possessions, 9 score involvements
Lewis Rinaldi (Ballarat) - 20 disposals, 9 tackles, 7 pressure acts
COACHES’ VERDICT
Matt White (Sunbury)
"Full honesty, I don't know what to say. Ballarat and their build up had me properly worried (last year demons) the way they finished the season we thought we knew how to beat them but also knew how quickly they could score and turn a game. So, to keep them to a low score for the full game was brilliant and knowing we got through clean on the injury front. Give Ballarat their credit - what a great year for them with a young list, they'll be trouble in the coming years. But now to focus on the best team in the league."
Ash Baker (Ballarat)
"Disappointing result for us, we came up against a very dominant outfit in Sunbury who controlled every aspect of the game. They are well drilled, moved the ball really well from the back half and had contributors all over the park. Overall, really pleased for our group to make finals and getting a finals experience into this young group will hold us in good stead as we move forward towards 2026."
Melton
def.
Bacchus Marsh
The Bloods were back to their best, proving too good for the Cobras in Sunday's elimination final at Eastern Oval.
An eight-goal second quarter blitz from the Bloods was a timely reminder for the rest of the competition their best in 2025 is good enough, and within reach.
Coach Troy Scoble will welcome and draw on the positives moving forward but be fully aware the Cobras have been their bunnies in more recent times.
Despite an upset result at their previous meet in Round 15, the Bloods have now won six of the last seven meets against the Cobras by an average of 69.5 points.
After a highly competitive first term that saw the Bloods lead narrowly at the break, Scoble's big guns went to work, upping the ante with a dazzling display to put this game to bed at half time as the Bloods soared to a 55-point lead.
Bloods’ Captain Braedan Kight was having another day out against the red, yellow and black enroute to a stand-out seven goal performance to earn best on ground honours.
The Cobras had no answers for the Bloods’ three-pronged attack in Kight and the Carter brothers Liam (three goals) and Ryan (two goals).
It wouldn't be a complete Bloods performance without a 'Borg moment' as the speedster again ran rings around his opponents to feature prominently on the back of three clever goals.
Bloods’ midfielder Jack Walker was back to his cumulative best while Harry Handley was impassable for the most part in defence with his intercept marking and familiar rebound.
The depth of contribution across the board from the Bloods highlighted their superior hand over the young Cobras who had just four players over the age of 24.
Josh Huxtable looks bound for greater opportunities in his football career as the talented Cobra looked right at home in his first final to be named his clubs best alongside Jamie Fulton who never gave up the fight, albeit a losing one.
The Cobras showed some resistance in the third term to narrow the margin to 34 but that was all she wrote as the Bloods 'bounced' again in the final term with a four-goals-to-one close, ensuring there was no repeat of the Cobras come from behind win of August 2nd.
While the Cobras bowed out convincingly by nature, Dennis Armfield and his group can hold their heads high having laid the foundations of what's to come following an eight-game winning season that saw them return to finals for the first time since 2018.
The Bloods’ scenario is simple.
Beat East Point this week and they're into another preliminary final with a title defence now well and truly with a pulse.
STATS THAT MATTERED
Adrian Monitto (Melton) - 36 disposals, 11 intercept possessions, 10 rebound 50s
Josh Huxtable (Bacchus Marsh) - 32 disposals, 14 contested possessions, 7 tackles
Braedan Kight (Melton) - 16 disposals, 12 score involvements, 8 marks, 7 goals
COACHES’ VERDICT
Troy Scoble (Melton)
"Was a mentally draining week with off field issues occurring. As a footy person, I do feel for the playing groups of Bacchus Marsh, Melton and other teams playing today. That being said we were really pleased with how the group dialled in to all phases today. We had strong connection throughout and the first time in the back half of the year we got our conversion up - it makes a difference. The Marsh kept asking the question, so we had to run the game right out. Well done to Dennis and his group - first final in eight years - exciting years ahead. Final four now, anything can happen.
Dennis Armfield (Bacchus Marsh)
"Credit to Scobes and Melton who came and executed a plan and unfortunately, we gave them a full quarter before we were able to switch on. In the second quarter they were really clean, and we were very fumbly and we couldn't capitalise on any of our entries. That said, I’ll never give up on our boys, they fought the game right out when, for a period, it looked like could get ugly on the scoreboard. It was a great learning experience for our whole club."
