EFNL Junior Finals Recap - Finals Week One (Under 16's to 18's)

By Josh Ward.

The EFNL Finals kicked off on Sunday afternoon with some cracking finals. Read a full recap of all the Under-16 to Under-18 finals here.

Under 16 Boys

In the U16A Boys competition, Blackburn punched its ticket to the decider with a 86 point triumph over Mitcham at Scoresby Recreation Reserve. The Burners kicked 14 goals to one from quarter time onwards to secure the win, led by Harvey Brookes who kicked five goals, making it 12 goals from the past three weekends for himself.

Mitcham will now meet North Ringwood Red after they accounted for Croydon by 38 points at Lewis Park. After trailing at half time by five points, the Saints kicked eight goals to one to extend their season and put an end to the Blues’ year.

The U16B Boys qualifying final saw Ferntree Gully also win big against Lysterfield at Belgrave South. Archie Hansen and Hunter Mascitti combined for eight of the Gully’s 13 goals as they triumphed over the Wolves by 56-points.

A date with Montrose awaits the Wolves after the Dees knocked off Upper Ferntree Gully at Holm Park Reserve in the B Grade elimination final. The Dees kicked eight goals to two after trailing by two points at the main break, eventually winning by 39 points over the Kings.

Mitcham Yellow booked its ticket to the U16C Boys Grand Final after winning a thrilling contest against Blackburn Red at Pinks Reserve. The Tigers led at all three breaks, including by 13 points at final change, before holding off a final quarter Blackburn surge to win by three points.

Blackburn Red will now face Vermont Gold after they defeated Beaconsfield Blue by four goals at Koonung Reserve. Following a three goal to two opening half, Vermont added a further four goals to Beaconsfield’s two in the second half to keep their season alive.

Under 16 Girls

A tense qualifying final in the U16A Girls division saw North Ringwood Red lock in a Grand Final berth after defeating local rivals East Ringwood Blue at Mount Waverley Reserve. The Saints led at all three breaks, eventually winning by 11 points despite a late push from the Roos.

Blackburn Black awaits the Roos after the Panthers convincingly triumphed over Beaconsfield at Pinks Reserve. The Burners kicked six unanswered goals in the opening term, eventually extending their winning margin to 55 points at the final siren.

Vermont’s Under 16 side locked in a spot in the U16B Girls Grand Final after knocking off Ferntree Gully by 58 points at Tormore Reserve. The Eagles of Vermont kicked eight goals to two in the second half and were well led in attack by Lily Johnson and Indigo Wells who combined for seven goals.

Ferntree Gully will now meet Mitcham’s Under 16 side after they won a thriller against Norwood at Knox Gardens Reserve. Leading at each break, the Tigers held sway in the final term to win by four points despite conceding the only goal of the term.

In the U16C Girls grade, Rowville claimed a 43-point victory over Chirnside Park to lock in a spot in the Grand Final. The Hawks kicked eight goals to 1.7 in their win at Pinks Reserve, with five of those goals coming off the boot of vice captain Ashlyn Cartledge.

East Burwood will now meet Chirnside Park after they defeated Montrose by 15 points at Templestowe Reserve. Despite having equal scoring shots, the Rams capitalised in front of goals, including in the second half where they kicked three goals to one.

U16D Girls saw two close finals take place, with the closest being the qualifying final between Rowville Knights and Boronia. Trailing at the first two breaks, the Hawks then took the lead at the final change before kicking the only goal of the term to win by three points at Belgrave South.

The Knights will now meet Blackburn Red after they defeated North Ringwood Black by 15 points at Holm Park. A three goal to one third term was key in the Panthers win, who were well led by skipper Laila Bryden who kicked three of her side’s four goals.

Under 17.5 Boys

A close qualifying final took place in the U17.5A grade at Knox Gardens Reserve between Blackburn and Rowville. Trailing at the first two breaks, the Burners then led by 20 points heading into the final term before holding off a late Rowville charge to secure an eight-point victory.

Rowville will now meet East Ringwood Blue after they won by 32 points against Wantirna South at Holm Park. Needing to overcome a 13-point half time deficit, the Roos kicked four unanswered goals in the third before adding another three goals to the Devils one in the last term.

The bottom-seeded sides in the two U17.5B finals were victorious over the weekend. In the qualifying final, Glen Waverley Rovers claimed a 17-point win over Boronia, kicking six goals to two in the second half after being behind at the first two breaks.

In the other final, the Adam Treloar-led Noble Park defeated Montrose at Templestowe Reserve. After rushing out to a four goal lead at quarter time, the Bulls were steadfast from that point onwards despite a strong push from the Dees, eventually winning by 16 points.

Kilsyth made a statement in the U17.5C qualifying final with a 91-point victory over Ringwood. The minor premiers kicked 18 goals to Ringwood’s four in the win, with Joseph Cultrera leading the charge with a five goal bag.

Beaconsfield awaits the Redbacks after the Eagles triumphed over their fellow Eagles in Vermont at Lewis Park in the elimination final. Whilst Beaconsfield were sharp in front of goals Vermont were not, with the latter kicking 3.16 to Beaconsfield’s 8.2 to go down by 16 points.

In the U17.5D grade, Wantirna South White locked in a Grand Final appearance with a win over East Ringwood White at Heights Reserve. Leading at all three in-game breaks, the Devils were eventually triumphant by 25 points after kicking the only two goals of the last term.

East Ringwood will now play off with Templestowe for a spot in the big dance after they defeated Blackburn Red at Charles Green Reserve. Led by Ethan Diana’s four goals, the Dockers kicked 12 goals to five in the final three terms to secure a historic finals victory in the club’s first year in the EFNL juniors.

Under 18 Girls

There were some big results in the U18 Girls A/B grade in their first set of finals. The A Grade qualifying final saw Blackburn triumph by 97 points over East Ringwood. Led by a combined nine goals off the boot of Samantha O’Donnell and captain Jessica Cheevers, the Burners kicked 16 goals to East Ringwood’s one in the win at Knox Gardens Reserve.

The A grade elimination final saw an inaccurate Wantirna South still win by 41 points over Belgrave at Holm Park. Despite having 21 scoring shots, the Devils kicked only four goals but held the Magpies scoreless on the day.

In B Grade, Vermont’s U18 side punched its ticket to the decider after defeating the Waverley Blues at Morton Park. Trailing by 11 points at the main break, the Eagles kicked five goals and had 14 scoring shots to the Blues’ two goals to secure a 16-point win.

Rowville and Lysterfield’s combined side kept its season alive with an eight-goal win over Mitcham at Barngeong Reserve. The Hawks/Wolves kicked seven unanswered goals in the second and third terms to set up the victory and book a date with Waverley Blues in this weekend’s preliminary final.

U18C Girls saw a sharpshooting Templestowe lock in a historic first ever grand final appearance in the EFNL juniors after they defeated Boronia by the barest of margins at Vermont Recreation Reserve. Needing to overcome a nine point deficit at the final change, the Dockers kicked two unanswered goals in the last to defeat an inaccurate Hawks outfit.

Boronia will now meet Montrose and North Ringwood’s combined U18 side after they knocked off Kilsyth by a goal at Lakesfield Reserve. Trailing by nine points at the main break, the Dees/Saints kicked three goals to nil in the third before holding sway in the last to keep their season and grand final aspirations alive.