Redan, Sunbury come away with premiership glory

The Lions took the acendancy in the closing minutes to clear away from North Ballarat City by 15 points - 8.6 (54) to 5.9 (39)

In a low-scoring contest, which set the trend for the day, it was a matter of which side could adjust quicker to the wet conditions.

Redan held sway for much of the first half.

Kayne Councillor, who made his senior debut late in the season, was electric.

He kicked three first half goals, showing the skills that convinced senior coach Jarrett Giampaolo he was good enough to play in the senior finals series.

After trailing by 24 points at half-time, North Ballarat City stormed back into the contest on its home turf, kicking three goals in the third quarter to open up the game and trail by just three points at the last change after Mitch McKee kicking a goal close to the siren.

The last quarter was a good old-fashioned slog -fest, with each side trying to belt the ball forward at every opportunity.

It took until the 13-minute mark for a goal to be kicked and after trailing the entire game it was North Ballarat which found itself in front.

The advantage lasted only a matter of minutes though, with Redan skipper Declan Murphy snapping his second goal to put the Lions back in front.

That was enough to spur on Redan, which managed another two goals to seal a flag and a second premiership at this level in three seasons.

Redan coach Stephen Kane described the victory as a really proud moment for him and the club.

Kane also sung the praises of best players Ryan Jerera and Kayne Counciller, who were awarded the AFL Victoria best on-ground medal and BFL medals respectively.

Declan Murphy, Liam Phillips and Ryan Thiesz were other better players for Redan, with Ryan Polkinghorne, Riley O'Keefe and Isaac Pertzel among North's best.

North Ballarat City finished on top of the ladder on percentage from Redan, with each losing just the one game.

Sunbury lived up to its home and away form to produce a dominant 30-point win over East Point in the Ballarat Football League reserves grand final at Mars Stadium on Saturday.

The Lions controlled play for the majority of the contest, with Sunbury speedster Nathan Bridgland judged best-on-ground.

Sunbury put the foot down in a free-flowing second quarter, kicking four goals to one to open up a 12-point lead by the main break.

Ben Brennan proved to be a focal point for the Lions with a strong aerial display while George King Medallist Chris Quinlan had plenty of football for East Point.

Sunbury continued to have the ascendancy in the third term, with an experienced Ben Guthriea a standout in the midfield performance.

With Sunbury holding a handy 24 point lead heading into the last quarter, East Point coach Shane Darroch tried everything possible to get his side back into contention, including switching playmaker Ryan Walsh forward to try and generate a spark.

This was to little avail though as Sunbury continued to control proceedings.

It was an elated Dylan Coventry that addressed his Sunbury troops post game, talking about the pride he felt for his players and how much the side had had to overcome on its way to the premiership.

Andrew Maconachie, Lachlan Thornton and Rhys Monument were among the Roos' better players,

The day was doubly sad for East Point, which as well as losing farewell two club greats in Paul Kodorenko and Chris Banwell.

Grand final details:

RESERVES

Sunbury 2.4, 6.4, 9.5, 10.8 (68)

East Point 3.1, 4.4, 5.5, 5.8 (38)

GOALS - Sunbury: Harry Power 2, Ben Guthrie 2, Ben Brennan 2, Trent Luke Stead 1, Daniel Jurczyluc 1, Nathan Bridgland 1, William Healy 1. East Point: Rhys Monument 3, Brodie Murphy 1, Chris Banwell 1

BEST - Sunbury: Mitchell Trimboli, Nathan Bridgland, Ben Brennan, Roger Allen, Sam Hogan, Timothy Hill. East Point: Andrew Maconachie, Lachlan Thornton, Rhys Monument, Chris Banwell, Andrew Stevenson, Joseph Dodd

UNDER-19

Redan 3.5, 5.5, 5.5, 8.6 (54)

North Ballarat City 1.2, 1.5, 4.8, 5.9 (39)

GOALS - Redan: Kayne Councillor 3, Declan Murphy 2, Jack Jones 1, Ryan Jerera 1, Jack Richards 1. North Ballarat City: Fletcher Toose 1, Mitchell McKee 1, Charlie Perks 1, Dylan Graham 1, Riely Ranieri 1

BEST - Redan: Ryan Jerera, Declan Murphy, Liam Phillips, Kayne Councillor, Ryan Thiesz, Sam McDougall. North Ballarat City: Ryan Polkinghorne, Riley O'Keefe, Isaac Pertzel, Fletcher Toose, Dylan Graham, Jarrod Curran

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