August 20, 2013
by Martin Stern
Football South Burnett
A good crowd was on hand on a warm day in Murgon to watch the 2013 Evolution Solar South Burnett Football League semi-finals on Sunday.
It was a huge day of football starting with the 2nd Division Elimination semi-final at 9:00am and the last match, the 1st Division Qualification semi-final, starting at 7:00pm.
All but two of the matches went into extra time but there were no penalty shoot outs.
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The first game of the day was the Second Division Elimination match between Barambah and Wests.
From the kick off, Wests had a very real opportunity to score however the shot went wide.
In the 8th minute, Wests failed to clear the ball from their penalty area and John Shaw gave Barambah the lead.
In the 33rd minute, Barambah scored their second when veteran Barambah striker Brendan Kelly ran onto a well-timed through ball, beat a defender, and slotted home a goal. One minute into the second half, Brendan Kelly struck again after a shot rebounded to him off the crossbar.
Six minutes out from full-time and Chris Tookey volleyed home a missile from a long throw from Richard Boles to make it 4-0 to Barambah.
Despite the scoreline, Wests played well in patches and had their chances. Could this Barambah side go all the way?
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In the 2nd Division Qualifier, Nanango and Gunners did battle.
The game was played at a fast pace with nothing between them. Gunners seemed to have more possession than Nanango in the first half however the deadlock remained unbroken until half-time.
Gunners came out in the second half with a greater attacking mindset and in the 53rd minute Brendan McCarron slotted home the first goal of the game from a lovely through ball from Callum Cook.
The pace of the match picked up further as Nanango searched for an equaliser.
Gunners started to look a little weary and were trying hard to hold onto their lead.
A shot from Brendan Stern and a fumble by the Gunners’ keeper put the Panthers back in the picture with three minutes of regulation time remaining.
Two minutes into extra time and Brendan Stern struck again, however Gunners kept pushing for an equaliser but were unsuccessful.
One minute out from the end of extra time Aidan Connolly put the result beyond doubt and Nanango proceeded to the Grand Final.
Gunners now face Barambah in the Preliminary Final.
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In the women’s Elimination match, a decimated Gunnettes side was expected to be easy pickings for Barambah however in the 11th minute striker Kristy Learmont gave Gunnettes the lead after a beautiful shot from just inside the penalty box.
It continued as a very even match with both sides battling hard in the midfield with very few chances.
In the latter part of the second half, Gunnettes were starting to tire and with just a few minutes remaining Elle Mollenhauer pulled one back with a hard shot from outside the penalty box.
In the 13th minute of extra time Mollenhauer struck again and gave Barambah the lead.
The result was done and dusted when she completed her hat-trick. It was a hard fought game and Gunnettes played out of their skins but with the lack of numbers found it very hard.
Barambah showed enough to suggest they are well and truly still in this competition especially with Elle Mollenhauer in fine form.
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The Women’s Qualification final featured Wests and Nanango, favourites to play out the Grand Final.
Matches between these two sides are very tight and this game was no exception.
Wests were again without striker Jacqui Trace and found the going tough up front without her. However the Wests’ defence was very strong, led by Danielle Maudsley.
Both sides put on a great display in an exciting match. However it was Nanango veteran Kerri Thompson who put Nanango into the Grand Final once again as she scored from a loose ball six minutes out from full time.
Nanango’s mix of experience and youth has worked well this season and coach Alan Downie must be confident of securing another title.
Wests will take on an in-form Barambah in the Preliminary Final. Traditionally Barambah do not go too well in Kingaroy but this could be the team to do it.
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The last time Wests and Barambah met they drew 2-2; however that could not happen on Sunday in the First Division elimination match.
This was always going to be a hard-fought contest and it showed as the teams came off scoreless at half-time.
The match had seemed to have settled down until the 51st minute when David Eagleson scored with a fierce shot to give Barambah the lead.
To their credit, Wests continued to be patient and played the more structured football.
In the 71st minute, Kirk Parker slotted home a loose ball in the Barambah penalty box to put Wests back on level terms.
Both sides started to pick up pace looking for a winner.
Each had a few chances to go ahead but could not take advantage of the situation.
In extra time, Wests kept their cool while the pressure seemed to get to Barambah whose discipline dropped.
The Wests striker scored the winner, and they will go on to fight another day.
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The Qualification match looked to be a foregone conclusion with Gunners without many key players and virtually all their regular back line.
Nanango, too, have had their fair share of injury problems as well with Justin Mangan, Nick Krauksts and Bryce Dawson gone for the season.
The first half of the game belonged to Gunners.
They dominated the midfield and to the surprise of many, their defence stood strong.
The main flow of Nanango’s attack was created down the right hand flank through Brice Connolly.
There was not much at all going on down the left which made the Nanango attack very predictable and easily read by the Gunners’ defence.
The second half was much the same; both sides having a few forays into goal-scoring positions but with not a lot happening.
What was evident was that Gunners were tiring after coming out of the blocks so hard.
Nanango were getting more chances but could not capitalise.
As the match went into extra time, Nanango started to change their attack from the right flank into the middle of the park and things seemed to improve for them.
Five minutes into the second period of extra time, Kieran Mangan gave his side the lead after going through the Gunners’ defence.
With two minutes to go, it was Kieran Mangan again who scored after the weary Gunners’ defence was caught going forward trying to look for an equaliser.
Gunners should be proud of what they achieved in this game; it was great to see the less experienced players step up.
Congratulations to Nanango who go straight through to the Grand Final.
They will relish a week off to recover from any niggling injuries.
Gunners will now meet Wests in the Preliminary Final which should be a very tough match for both sides
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Full Results
- 2nd Division Elimination semi-final: Barambah 4 (Brendan Kelly 2, John Shaw, Chris Tookey) defeated Wests 0
- 2nd Division Qualifying semi-final: Nanango 3 (Brendan Stern 2, Ayden Connolly) defeated Gunners 1 (Brendan McCarron) after extra time
- Women’s Elimination semi-final: Barambah 3 (Elle Mollenhauer 3) defeated Gunnettes 1 (Kristy Learmont) after extra time
- Women’s Qualifying semi-final: Nanango 1 (Kerri Thompson) defeated Wests 0
- 1st Division Elimination semi-final: Wests 2 (Kirk Parker, Luke Smith) defeated Barambah 1 (David Eagleson) after extra time
- 1st Division Qualifying semi-final: Nanango 2 (Kieran Mangan 2) defeated Gunners 0 after extra time
Next week’s matches are the Preliminary Finals which will be held in Kingaroy on Saturday, August 24:
- 2:00pm – 2nd Division – Gunners v Barambah
- 4:00pm – Women’s – Wests v Barambah
- 6:00pm – 1st Division – Gunners v Wests
