August 27, 2012
By Martin Stern
Football South Burnett
Wests Experience Shines Through
Gunners have had the wood on Wests this season, winning four out of five matches in First Division and were favourites to win Sunday’s First Division preliminary final with many of the Wests players doubling up from Second Division.
The match started off at a fast pace and both teams were trying to play attractive possession football on the concrete-hard Nanango pitch.
However Wests seem to make their passes stick a little better and were first to the ball on the majority of occasions.
In the 15th minute Joel Cooper gave Wests the lead after he hammered home a beautifully switched ball from Chris Boyes.
Gunners were under the pump and made little impression on the Wests’ defence. Their lone striker, Ryan Mooney, tried his heart out all game and came close in the 20th minute to snatching an equaliser.
In the 23rd minute Wests’ Marty Perrett sent a thundering shot which was tipped over the crossbar by Gunners’ keeper Reise Braund, and almost scored again from the ensuing corner.
In the 27th minute, Joel Cooper scored his second after beating two Gunners’ defenders to give Wests a 2-0 lead.
Three minutes later Wests were awarded a corner and Ryan Francis latched onto it to make it 3-0 to Wests. Wests continued to dominate the remainder of the half.
In the second half Gunners came out and started playing some of the football expected of them.
They were unlucky not to pull a goal back when Anuwat (Ike) Sillilat’s shot was tipped over the bar by Wests keeper Jack Fleming.
The game was fairly evenly balanced for the remainder of the second half but the damage had been done by Wests in the first half and Gunners could not find a way back into the game.
Best on the park for Wests were Joel Cooper, Chris Boyes and Aidan Maher while Zac Strauss, Reuben Vandenberg-Dodt and Reise Braund were Gunners’ best.
* * *
Parsons Sisters Do It For Gunnettes
In the Women’s game, Wests were hot favourites to beat Gunnettes but it was the latter that pushed forward from the start and in the 8th minute Natasha Parsons gave her team the lead.
Gunnettes were surprisingly dominating their more fancied rivals and in the 22nd minute Katrina Parsons made it 2-0.
Ten minutes later Katrina Parsons struck again to give Gunnettes an unlikely 3-0 lead at halftime.
Ten minutes into the second half Katrina Parsons and Wests keeper Toni Schick had a nasty collision while both challenging for the ball. Both players were taken from the field and took no further part in the game.
Wests pushed forward looking to get back in the game but strong defence from Chrissy McBride and Bec Clegg thwarted their attempts and the score remained 3-0 to Gunnettes.
Best for Gunnettes was Katrina Parsons while Danielle Maudsley was Wests’ best player.
* * *
Dad’s Army Through As Barambah Signs Out
In 2nd Division, a full-strength Barambah was expected to account for Wests (Dad’s Army) and it looked that way in the first half of the match when Brendan Kelly gave Barambah the lead in the fifth minute of the game by burying a nicely timed cross from Ashley Burns.
Barambah dominated the first half and had many scoring opportunities.
Wests seemed to get their game together more in the second half and in the 60th minute were awarded a penalty when Jack Fleming was brought down in the box.
Fleming made no mistake and put his side back into the game.
With the score at 1-1, Wests seemed to lift their intensity and in the 69th minute Sam Grey scored off a brilliant cross from his father Shane Gray to give Wests a 2-1 lead.
Barambah rallied in the last ten minutes of the game but were unable to find the goal to put the game into extra time.
Best for Wests was Jack Fleming while Luke Holland was the pick for Barambah.
* * *
Preliminary Final Results
- 1st Division: Wests 3 (Joel Cooper 2, Ryan Francis), Gunners 0
- 2nd Division: Wests 2 (Jack Fleming, Sam Gray), Barambah 1 (Brendan Kelly)
- Women’s: Gunnettes 3 (Katrina Parsons 2, Natasha Parsons), Wests 0
Next Week
Grand Finals will be played in Kingaroy on Saturday (September 1)
- 1:00pm: 2nd Division – Nanango v Wests
- 3:00pm: Women’s – Nanango v Gunnettes
- 5:00pm: 1st Division – Nanango v Wests
