GSFL 2024: Royals hold nerve late to hold out Mt Barker and set up grand final showdown with co-tenants

A bruised and battered Royals survived an almighty challenge in the final quarter to beat Mt Barker by seven points in an outstanding Great Southern Football League preliminary final at Retravision Stadium on Saturday. Lions coach Darrell Panizza said his side called on courage, determination and guts when down to 20 players in the last half, as they absorbed a nervy final few minutes to book a grand final berth. The home side led by 22 points at three-quarter-time and appeared set to cruise into their first decider since 2021 when David Parker kicked the second of his two sensational final-quarter goals. However the Bulls launched one last attack in a bid to extend their season to the final week, kicking the final three goals of the game but they ultimately fell short. “There’s no four points in these games. It’s just how you win them,” Panizza said. “Australia was built on courage, determination and guts, and we had to use every ounce of it today to make sure that we got over the line and that’s what this club’s about. “We love playing in grand finals, and that’s what we built a whole club around. “A lot of people didn’t want us to win, and we won so we get our chance now to win a grand final and we’re very good at winning them.” The Bulls looked gone in the last before power forward Ash Wallam produced a freakish snap and then Dylan Gowdie kicked truly in heavy traffic in the goal square to make it 13 points. The visitors were dominating out of the centre as the Lions continued to tire and when they went forward it was that man Wallam again. Wallam, tucked up tightly on the boundary, jailed his fifth in ice cold fashion to reduce the margin to seven points. Time was not on their side however as the final siren blew when the ball was returned to the centre, as the Lions clung on desperately to one of their best wins in recent seasons. Wallam finished with five goals and at times threatened to tear the game to apart in the front half but his heroics were not enough as the Bulls’ season came to an end, 10.7 (67) to 9.6 (60). The Lions lost Quinn Bird to a serious shoulder injury in the opening term and then Michael McGlade to a re-occurring hamstring complaint by half-time. But the home side fought tooth and nail against adversity as they booked a rematch with Albany in next week’s league decider. Hamish McMorran was a key figure in the preliminary final triumph, kicking three goals — two of which came in the vital third term as the Lions wrested back momentum. Ryan Lazar was telling at both ends of the ground, firstly back and then forward, while Joel Flick, Corey Ward, Ben Altus and Brayden Parker were also impressive contributors. In defence Corey Linthorne kept Sam Lehmann to just one goal and Darcy Reader quelled the impact of the Bulls’ Zach Jackson who went scoreless despite playing mainly as a forward. Declan McNamara and Seb Stanton kicked the only goals of the first term but that lead was quickly erased as Wallam kicked the first three majors of the second quarter to put the Bulls in front. McMorran pinched one back but the big moment of the term came as Jared Ballard launched a shot on goal just before the half-time siren sounded, the ball bouncing into the square and over the line to hand the Bulls a five-point lead. The Lions lifted significantly after the long break, as McMorran booted two to go with conversions from Ryan Lazar and Jaiden Mole to give their side what ended up being a match-winning advantage. In the all important final term Lehmann kicked the first goal five minutes in before Mole nabbed his second against the tide. It felt the Bulls were mounting a challenge when Gowdie marked and kicked a set shot but then David Parker, firstly on the run and then with an opportunistic soccer off the ground, gave the Lions a game-high 25-point lead. The Bulls charged home but ran out of time, with captain David Stone chaired from the ground in his 175th game that earns him club life membership. Wallam, Darcy Wallinger, Brent Parsons, Lee Pavlovich and Gowdie were all superb in the loss and Jared Ballard (groin) was busy before going down with injury.