August 30, 2015
The South Burnett Saints will have to take the long and difficult path to reach the Grand Final of the Division 2 Darling Downs AFL competition after their loss in the Major Semi-Final on Saturday in Toowoomba.
The Minor Premiers came up against their arch-nemesis the Dalby Swans … again.
The two teams, which for most of the season were locked at the top of the ladder, played each other twice last month.
The Saints won the first encounter easily – at Lyle Vidler Oval – but the second was much harder with the Swans ahead at every change and only a determined effort by the South Burnett team in the last quarter bringing home the points.
The roles were reversed this time around, with the Saints ahead at the end of each period and the Swans taking flight in the last, finishing more than two goals ahead at 12.14 (86) to 10.10 (70) to lock in the first spot in the Grand Final.
At three-quarter time, South Burnett and Dalby had each kicked 10 goals, but the Saints were ahead by just two points: 10.9 (69) to 10.7 (67) (mirroring their last encounter).
The South Burnett had developed a habit of winning this year and were unbeaten until the last round of the regular season when they were downed in the last quarter of the game by the Highfields Lions.
Unfortunately, they have now put together back-to-back losses right at the death-knell.
This will have to change next weekend when they will face the Highfields Lions again in the sudden-death Preliminary Final to determine who will play Dalby in the Grand Final.
The Preliminary Final is scheduled to start at 2:00pm on Saturday (September 5) at Rockville Oval in Toowoomba.
The Grand Final will be played on Saturday, September 12, at Heritage Oval in North Toowoomba.
