FINALS footy is finally here and to pick a favourite right now is no easy task.
So let’s take a look at each side and see what they need to do to become premiers, and who in each team needs to fire to give their side the best opportunity for success.
Most teams can cover injuries to some players, however when it is most of your key players, it becomes a big issue.
I would think no team in our competition has it harder than what Mildura has right now on the eve of finals.
The players Mildura have to try and cover are some of the best players not only in their team, but the whole league with names such as Mitch Rogerson, Ben Hurley, Josh Dean, Carmelo Lando, just to name a few.
My key player for Mildura to go deep into September action is Jono Lee. If he can give first use to the midfielders all day, it will hopefully allow coach Sam Kerridge to push forward and put scoreboard pressure on the opposition.
If big Jono is unable to provide first use, the likes of Kerridge and Nathan Nolan will have to stay in the middle to provide any chance of clearances against other quality midfields.
Robinvale Euston, on the other hand, look to be coming into finals with a wet sail and some genuine confidence, even though they were unable to get over the line at the weekend against Wentworth.
The Eagles are big, strong, fit and fast. Get this team on a big oval and they have the ability to slice teams to pieces with their contested bulls such as reigning McLeod Medallist Benji Neal and one of this year’s favourites for the league best and fairest in James Zappia.
On the outside they have skilful runners in the Mezzatesta boys and crafty forwards in Dion Camera and Izzy Johnson. In the big man department, they have ruckman Dylan Adkins who has had a great season, and key pillars up forward and down back in skipper Braidyn Turner, Ricardo Liparota, Jack Taylor and Ethan Gill who will give most teams nightmares.
For the Eagles to win the flag this season Braidyn Turner needs to lead from the front, as he has been doing.
Turner can play any role the team needs him to play, however his run off half-back and decision making makes him most dangerous. If the Eagles can find a way to have Turner as their quarterback, look out.
Irymple have key players they need to get the best out of on each line to genuinely push for a fourth flag in a row. My key to their success is Nick Pezzaniti up forward.
In a lowering of colours Pezzaniti was dropped from the senior team early in the season, however since then he has rarely missed a beat and one thing we do know about the “Pezz” is that he loves a big stage and very rarely does he not stand up in a big game.
Finishing second on the table this season is my flag favourite Wentworth.
I’ve been quite bullish on Wentworth for three years now and I believe this is the team that can take them all the way.
Under the instruction of former AFL star Ben McGlynn, Wentworth look to be coming together at the right time of the year and are relatively injury free to their key players, outside of swingman Finn Ellis Castle.
The Roos are dangerous on every line and are the most adaptable team in the competition, with most of their key players able to play in a number of positions.
Like Robinvale Euston, they have the ideal mix of inside players and outside run, however the difference is Wentworth have two of the best forwards our league have seen in two decades with Jarrod Brander and Wade Hancock.
For Wenty to go all the way this season they will need Jack Cottrell playing his best footy.
Cottrell is very much like Braidyn Turner at the Eagles in that he can play in all thirds of the ground and he is a big body who can run all day, having returned this season from a year in the SANFL with West Adelaide. I think he can slip under the radar and do some genuine damage against the opposition on his day.
Lastly, we have the minor premiers, Imperials, a team possibly on the cusp of going from the bottom of the ladder to premiers in the space of a season, just as they did in 2013 under Simon Callahan and Brad Hards.
New coach Brad Vallance has completely turned around their fortunes since taking over as coach this season and they are the most structured and well-drilled team in the competition by a fair margin.
This season they came back fitter and stronger, and recruited perfectly to land A-grade talents in Ryley Buntain, Aaron Laskey, Harry Prendergast and Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti.
However, it is also the huge improvement and consistency in players such as Jayden Fox who has kicked more than 50 goals this season, players such as Will O’Donnell and Riley Burns, and the leadership of club legends Brad Hards and Simon Callahan, complemented by local stars Ben Galbraith and Matthew Mazzini, that makes Imps incredibly strong.
The biggest knock on Imps this year was their depth and how they would cover injuries should they arise given the lack of senior talent in the reserves and under-18s. However, even with injuries during the year, Imps continue to seem to answer the question in resounding fashion.
If Imperials are going to be the premiers this season, their gun forward and leading goalkicker Fox needs to star.
I hope Fox is the player who can take this finals series by the scruff of the neck and become the new leader of this football club. He can play tall or small, mark strongly and crumb beautifully, and I hope we see exactly what he can do this year on the big stage.
While I can’t guarantee who the outright favourite is this year, the one guarantee of this finals series is that it will be an absolute cracker!
