The Harcourt Senior footballers are kings of the jungle after winning the Maryborough Castlemaine District FNL grand final by eight points against Carisbrook in their first grand final in 15 years.
The Lions showed their trademark relentless pressure in trying conditions at Princes Park.
After Carisbrook kicked the opening goal of the game, Harcourt controlled most of the first quarter with goals coming off the boots of Semmens, Code and Kerr. The Lions had a 12 point lead heading into the first change.
Jed Rodda booted the first major of the second quarter but Carisbrook got on top of the midfield battle and gave their powerful forward plenty of opportunities to score. They kicked the next three before Kristian Bruce worked some magic, snapping one across his shoulder just before the main break and reducing the margin to one point.
After an enthralling speech from Coaches Wridgway and Code, Harcourt came out firing with their midfield led by the veteran Paul Chaplin, captain Kayne Davidson and Tom Walters working their opponents over. Jed Rodda marked strongly and kicked truly after some crafty work from Ben Leech and exquisite foot skills by Mark Noonan.
Coach Code banged home his second, which was followed by a Bryce Frost major. Frost nearly got lost finding himself up the wrong end of the ground but managed to put it home. Going into the final term, Harcourt held an 18 point lead.
Carisbrook have been renowned for their strong finishes and this was no different with the Redbacks throwing everything at the Lions. They reduced the margin to two points after Zelencich kicked his third and fourth majors and the Harcourt faithful were nervous.
The ball went deep into the Redbacks forward line, but the evergreen Jeffrey McMurtrie, 38, the only Lion to have played in the previous grand final, repelled this entry and Bryce Frost found himself lining up for goal. He was called to play on by the umpire and a rushed kick forward which was marked by Sam Kerr with a minute on the clock. He managed to sneak it home to give Harcourt an unassailable eight point lead.
Berry Powell medallist Brayden Frost capped off a remarkable season, winning the Best on Ground medal and Tom Walters won the AFL Victoria Country medal. A strength of Harcourt’s game this year has been their depth and they had 22 great contributors on the day.
Take a stroll down memory lane and read about Harcourt’s 2002 grand final victory here
C Grade
After a terrific season, despite their best efforts, our C Grade side went down by a mere six goals to Avoca. After trailing by nine goals at three quarter time, our defenders didn’t give up and blitzed the last quarter with 10 goals to 7. While Gemma Papadimos was incredibly accurate at goal.
15 & Under Netball
The Harcourt 15 and Under netball team had a convincing win over Maldon to take out the 2022 MCDFNL 15/U Premiership 33-10. Harcourt led from the start, up 6-1 at quarter time, and continued to build their lead throughout the game. Despite some challenging weather conditions, Harcourt put on a wonderful display of netball, showcasing their strong team work which has been a highlight of their success this season. Their full court defensive pressure was again a key aspect of their win, keeping Maldon to just five goals for the first three quarters. Rosie Jarvis and Madeline Springate read the play brilliantly, combining to take many defensive intercepts, making it hard for Maldon to penetrate the attacking goal circle. Alana Fletcher was a strong presence throughout the court, turning the ball over many times and providing a strong attacking drive down the court, feeding the goalers beautifully. Tegan McKay presented and moved well throughout the game, shooting very accurately and was awarded ‘Best on Court’ by the umpires. Congratulations to all three sides on an incredible season.
