Great Flinders football
FINALS action kicks of this week with the first semi final being played at Tumby Bay.
This year's finals series has all six teams within the league involved in finals action, which is testament to the evenness of the competition, with finals contenders only finalised after last weeks final minor round game.
In the A grade Tumby Bay finished the season as minor premiers, losing just the one game in round five, as the Blues continued their impressive run of form in recent years.
United Yeelanna have capped off a superb minor round by finishing second and earning themselves a double chance, and Lock finished the season in strong fashion to defeat Cougars last week and book themselves a spot in the top four.
Ramblers finished the season in third spot, with their loss to Eyre United in round 14 costing them second spot and the double chance.
The Blues capped off a solid season, also finishing minor premiers in the reserves, with Ramblers, Yeelanna and Cougars rounding off the top four, and in the colts it was Cougars finishing the minor round on top ahead of Tumby Bay, Yeelanna and Eyre United.
Burly Tumby Bay forward Chris Prime once again topped the goal kicking tally in the A grade, finishing the season with 96 goals following on from 150 in 2007, and 131 in 2008 to again have an outstanding season.
This week's games
A grade Ramblers v Lock Tumby Bay, 2.30pm
The Roos have finished the season in red hot form with a resounding 99 point thrashing of finals contender Cougars last week, which will give them some real confidence as they take on finals specialists Ramblers in this week's first semi final.
Last time they met
Ramblers got off to a flyer, booting the first six goals of the match, which proved the difference as this was the exact margin at the final siren.
Shawn Fitzgerald and Jim Holman were outstanding for the Magpies, and Andrew Crettenden kicked five from full forward. The Roos were best served by Gus Glover with four goals, and Sam Britza who gained plenty of touches through the midfield and across half back.
This week's game
After being all but written off a month ago, the Roos have found themselves in the four and may well just be the smokey of this years finals series.
They finished the season strongly with big wins over Eyre United and Cougars, and came close to knocking off the Blues at home in round 14, which indicates their form is sound, and they are playing with some real confidence. They are a talented side, and the return to form last week of Zac Tiller and Luke Northcott would have pleased their coach greatly, as these two gifted players give them some added bite and goal scoring potential across half forward.
Gus Glover has also continued his good form in recent weeks, and coupled with Brad Agars, the Roos appear to suddenly have some potent scoring ability up forward.
Isaac Halman appears to be back to full fitness, and he is a pivotal player to Lock's success with his ability to play in a variety of positions.
Brad Wake and the Hetzel brothers, along with Sam Britza, form a core group of solid midfielders and Alistair Pearce has played some of the best football of his career in recent weeks.
The clash of Pearce and prominent Magpies ruckman James Minhard will go a long way to determining the outcome of this match.
The likes of Cummings, Hentschke, Pearce and Kay in defence will have a big job of containing the Magpies forwards with Jim Holman and Andrew Crettenden providing them with a sound structure for their team-mates to work around.
Shawn Fitzgerald is one player the Roos defenders can ill afford to give any space, as he's at his best when around the goals and rarely misses from roving contests. If Lock can hold some of Ramblers key forwards then they look a strong chance of victory, as the Magpies have struggled all season to apply real scoreboard pressure against opposition sides.
Having said all of this though, Ramblers always leave their best until last, and one would be a fool to write them off in any finals contest.
They have a number of players in Quigley, Pilgrim, Murnane and the evergreen Andrew Cabot that often go under the radar of opposition sides, and Corey Fitzgerald is a class act in the middle, so the Roos will need to be at their best to advance any further.
The fitness of premier Ramblers player and coach Simon Pedler will be of major concern, as he almost looms as the difference between the two sides.
He appears almost certain to play after suffering a hamstring injury in round 14, and whether he lines up in defence or up forward remains to be seen, but his experience and class will be a major hurdle for Lock to overcome.
Can the Roos stand up and march towards a possible home ground final, or will Ramblers have a return to form and continue their impressive grand final record in recent years?
In what should be a cracker of a game to kick off the final series, the return of Pedler and the experience of Ramblers should see them get over the line in a thrilling contest.
Reserves
Yeelanna v Cougars
Last time they met
The Eagles ran out comfortable winners by 27 points in a low scoring affair at Kapinnie. Ryan Harvey and Josh Hancock were outstanding for Yeelanna, while Tom Phelps and Scott Klose were named best for Cougars.
This week
The Eagles just failed to grab the double chance in the reserves, missing out by just 0.6 per cent after finishing the year equal on 10 wins with Ramblers.
They will enter this game as warm favourites and will be hell bent on ensuring they advance to the preliminary final to earn another crack at either the Blues or Magpies, depending on next week's result.
Modra, Little, Harvey, Hancock and Blacker all loom as important players for the Eagles, and Dingwall and Howie were dangerous up forward last week, booting 11 goals between them. Cougars may well be strengthened by the return of some A grade players, given the fact their senior side is now out of the finals race.
They have some key experience in Lyall and Tom Phelps, and the likes of Barnes, Paull, Letton and Eylwood will ensure their side puts up a competitive showing. Much will hinge on the possible inclusion of some key players for Cougars, so the make up of their side is somewhat unknown at this stage.
The Eagles deserve the favourites tag, and they should have enough pace and skill to overcome their opponents and advance on to the prelim final in a fortnight.
Colts
Yeelan na v Eyre United
Last time they met
In the final minor round game for season 2009, an inaccurate Eagles side came from behind to overrun the Saints and win by just nine points. Klein and Coombs were outstanding for Yeelanna, with Jacobs and Max Baldiserra named best for the Saints.
This week's game
Eyre United were terrific in the first quarter last week, when they shocked the Eagles with a blistering seven-goal first quarter, keeping the Eagles to just two behinds in this period.
If they can produce this sort of footy over four quarters then the Saints are a big chance to cause an upset victory. They have the services of the talented Max Baldiserra to lead them, and the likes of Gale, Jacobs, Dawes and Tonkin round of an improving side that will be keen to fly the flag for their club.
Inaccuracy almost cost the Eagles last week, and they will need to ensure that they capitalise on any goal scoring opportunities to keep the Saints at bay.
Coombs and Boehm will play important roles up forward, and Klein, Proctor and Crettenden will be prominent players in their roles across the ground.
Eyre United will have gained some confidence from their performance last week, but the Eagles look to have just a little more class, and should record a victory and advance further in to the 2009 finals series.
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