IT took until the last round, but Kyneton has guaranteed its return to the BFL finals for the first time since 2003.
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In their second season back from their senior side going into recess in 2013, the Tigers will play Eaglehawk in next Sunday’s elimination final after keeping hold of fifth spot with their 21.16 (142) to 12.5 (77) victory over Maryborough at Princes Park on Saturday.
“It has been a long journey for the club and to finally be playing finals from where we’ve come from is massive,” Kyneton coach Luke Beattie said.
“We would have liked to have it sealed it a bit earlier, but we’re there now and can’t wait for next week.”
The dynamic Ben Weightman helped steer the Tigers into the finals with a bag of 10 goals that lifted his season tally to 73 as he finished runner-up in the Ron Best Medal for the second year in a row.
“He was amazing today… his mobility and versatility is just a genuine joy to watch,” Beattie said.
Also pleasing for the Tigers – who finished with an 8-10 record - on the eve of the finals was the performance of mid-season recruit James Meiklejohn, who spent most of the game playing in the ruck and was dominant.
Alik Magin was again outstanding through the midfield and generated plenty of inside-50s for the Tigers, while Rhys Magin chipped in with five goals.
Saturday brings down the curtain on one of the toughest seasons in Maryborough’s history, with the Magpies going through the year winless and with an average losing margin of 112 points.
Matt Bond battled hard to kick six goals for the Magpies, whose best were Daniel Vadala and Troy Rake.