SOUTH West District Football Netball League finals get underway today with Coleraine set to host the qualifying finals today and tomorrow's elimination finals at Branxholme Recreation Reserve.

Finals football has arrived in the South West District Football Netball League for 2022 as five clubs prepare to extend their seasons in pursuit of the ultimate glory.

With six games over the next four weeks set to decide the 2022 premiers, the first weekend sees Coleraine sitting out the first week in both seniors and reserves grades, while Dartmoor, Cavendish, Tyrendarra and Heywood battle it out over the next two days.

In today’s qualifying final, Dartmoor and Cavendish meet at Silvester Oval looking to win the right to tackle Coleraine in the second semi-final next week.

Dartmoor finds itself playing today despite having defeated Coleraine back in round 13 to grab top spot only to see the Maroons snatch it back in the final round with a percentage-boosting victory.

The second-placed Giants will face third-placed Cavendish, knowing the Bloods have defeated them twice from three meetings this season, but in their last encounter they took the points easily.

Both teams are expected to field strong teams and these teams match up well across the ground, which should provide a great encounter for the players and the spectators of both clubs.

“We’re expecting to get a few boys back in this week,” Cavendish coach, Clinton Thomas said.

“We were quite undermanned last time we played Dartmoor, so there wasn’t a lot that we could take away from it.

“That said, they’re a team that is a consistent performer and we’re going to need to bring our A game to be able to beat them.”

Tyrendarra v Heywood

BRANXHOLME Recreation Reserve will host the elimination final tomorrow when fourth-placed Tyrendarra do battle with Heywood, which finished fifth.

The Darras were in the hunt for a top three finish all season, but a loss in the last round to Dartmoor saw them finish out of the double chance spots, while the Lions were entrenched in the top five for the season.

Tyrendarra will be missing some key personnel, but will welcome back goal-scorer, Jordi Withers, for the match.

“We will not be at full strength with a couple of players missing, but I have every confidence that our players can get the job done,” Tyrendarra coach, Matt Peters said.

The Darras had to come from behind back in round 13 when these teams last met, as the Lions held a 35-point lead at the long break only to see Tyrendarra turn the match on its head and record an eight-point win.

“We were lazy the last time we met Heywood and we struggled to get the win,” Peters said.

“We were very unaccountable in the first half of that match but were able to turn it around in the second half.

“Fitness is going to play a big role in the match as the ground will be heavy and we have to run hard for the entire game if we want to win.”

Reserves

WITH Coleraine finishing the home and away season undefeated, all the other teams have been battling it out for the other four places in finals with Tyrendarra leading the race for the other top three spots on the ladder.

The Darras will play Dartmoor today at Silvester Oval knowing that they have defeated the Giants twice from the three meetings this season.

The Giants can take heart they knocked off the Darras only seven days ago in the last home and away round in a tight, hard-fought game away from home, where they took the win by four points despite having one less scoring opportunity than the Darras.

Dartmoor was the second-best attacking side in the competition behind Coleraine, but the Darras were only behind the Maroons as far as defence is concerned, so this match should be just as tight as the game was last weekend.

Rain is forecast today which should play into the Darras’ hands with their defensive structures, but the Giants will still look to attack at every opportunity.

SUNDAY’S elimination final sees Cavendish take on Heywood with the Bloods fancied to take the victory after two convincing victories against the Lions this season.

Cavendish enters the game after having the last round of the season off due to Westerns forfeiting, so the players should be fully refreshed, while Heywood posted two strong performances against Branxholme-Wallacedale and Heathmere respectively to round out the home and away season.

Finals glory is all that will be on the minds of South West District Football Netball League players when four teams take to the netball courts searching for the spark that will take their teams into week two of the finals and beyond.

Saturday will see all eyes on Silvester Oval, as Dartmoor and Westerns face-off.

Tyrendarra has earnt the right to have a rest in week one after a dominant season saw the Darras only lose twice over the course of its campaign (both times to Dartmoor).

Dartmoor and Westerns fought out a season long battle for second place on the ladder and on points they couldn’t be separated, but the Giants gained the advantage through a better percentage, as the best defensive team in the competition.

These two teams are so evenly matched across the court that they drew the first encounter in round seven, then when they met again in round 14 the Roos took the points through a single goal.

Georgia Bryden will miss the game injury but aside from that, Dartmoor will be at full strength for the game.

“Full strength team this week except Georgia, we are all fit and well going into the first week of finals,” Dartmoor coach, Elise Haw said.

 The round 14 game saw Dartmoor take a two-goal lead into the first end change only for the Roos to come back in the second term to grab a single goal lead by the long break.

“Kayla Pickert was put on last game against us which changed their game dynamic and strength, but they are an overall strong team, and it should be a good game,” Haw said.

Westerns coach, Vicki Clayton, confirmed that her squad would not be at full strength but didn’t expand on which players would be missing.

“Unfortunately, we will not be at full strength, and it was always something we knew coming into the tail end of the season,” Clayton said.

“We always wanted to achieve the double chance for this reason. I am grateful for the players, be them juniors or other senior players who are willing will help us out.”

Clayton learnt so much about not only the Dartmoor team the last time they met, but also her own side and how they handle adversity.

“What I learnt is that my side is resilient; we made mistakes but when we did it was the efforts of not dropping our heads, continuously working hard to do our best, and to get the ball back to create scoring opportunities,” Clayton said.

“For a young side that’s huge when things don’t go your way and the fact that you can continue to work on the little things can have a big impact.”

Cavendish v Coleraine

SUNDAY will see Cavendish and Coleraine battle it out in the elimination final at Branxholme with the Bloods favoured to advance to the semi-finals next week.

Cavendish won both the meetings between these teams during the season, but they didn’t dominate the Maroons in either encounter, and tomorrow they will have to be wary of the threat posed by the Maroons.

Neither team has enjoyed consistent success since that round 10 meeting with as many wins as losses recorded by each, as full-strength squads haven’t been available for selection for either team.

 While the Bloods had their finals place sewn up long ago, the Maroons were in a battle with Heywood right to the final whistle of the last round before they knew they would take their place this weekend.

“Our team will not be at full strength; we have seven players available with a couple carrying small niggles, but we will have an 17-and-Under player on the bench, and I have confidence in the eight players we have to do the job,” Coleraine coach, Casey Pye said.

“I think our main focus will be on our own game and not worrying too much about their game.

“Full court pressure will be the key for us and if we go out strong in the first quarter and the attacking end connects well, we are in for a very good shot.

“However, as always, if you can limit the scoring opportunities for the opposition it always puts you in a good position.”

Cavendish will be at full strength with Carly Behncke back for the match after missing the last few games and she will take her place in the goal circle.

“We are at full strength,” Cavendish coach, Marni Luhrs said.

“I think the most important thing about Sunday is just to play our own game. We like to move the ball fast and play an attacking game.

“So, if we can play four quarters of our best netball, I’d expect to win Sunday.”

Other games

IN the A Reserve qualifying final, it is Westerns and Tyrendarra who will face-off, while Heathmere and Coleraine will be fighting for survival in the elimination final tomorrow.

Coleraine and Heywood will battle it out in the B grade qualifying final today, while Cavendish and the Darras will take to the court with the loser set to drop out of premiership contention.

Cavendish and Branxholme-Wallacedale headline the C grade finals today, while Coleraine and Dartmoor will face-off in tomorrow’s elimination final.

The 17-and-Under qualifying final will be between Coleraine and Westerns, while Cavendish and Tyrendarra face-off tomorrow.

Coleraine will face Heathmere in the 15-and-Under clash today, while tomorrow’s elimination final will be between Westerns and Branxholme-Wallacedale.

Rounding out the first weekend of finals are Westerns and Coleraine in today’s 13-and-Under game, while the Bloods and Saints will face-off tomorrow.