FULL COVERAGE: BFNL grand final 2016
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
STRATHFIELDSAYE has won back-to-back BFNL under-18 flags after the Storm’s young guns proved too strong for Sandhurst at the QEO on Saturday.
Just like they were when beaten by the Dragons in the second semi-final a fortnight ago, the Storm were inaccurate in front of goal.
But this time it didn’t come back to bite them as the Dragons were also off target in what was a game where the two sides combined to kick 11.25 as the Storm won 7.15 (57) to 4.10 (34).
The Dragons got the jump on the Storm to lead by 14 points at quarter-time, 3.2 to 1.0.
However, the Dragons only kicked one more goal for the rest of the match.
Yet the game was still up for grabs at three quarter-time, with the Storm ahead by six points.
But kicking with the wind in the final term, the Storm added 2.8 to 0.3 to run out 23-point winners and cap a season in which coach Bart Leahy’s team lost just one game.
The Rod Ashman Medal for best-on-ground was won by Strathfieldsaye midfielder Josh Formosa.
Captain Matthew Harvey, Lachlan Gill and Bailey Henderson (three goals), who along with Formosa have all played senior football this year, were also among the standouts for the Storm.
Jack Bouwmeester (two goals) was the only multiple goalkicker for the Dragons, whose better players included Billy Robertson, Conor Hamilton, Isaac Ruff and Lars Casperson.
• Sandhurst won its third reserves premiership in the past five years in what was a pre-cursor to the senior result as the Dragons defeated Golden Square.
The Dragons controlled the game from the outset on the way to winning 10.13 (73) to 6.10 (46).
Sandhurst, coached by Brenton Dillon, conceded just one goal in the first half, at which stage the Dragons were 26 points in front.
The best-on-ground Turner Medal was won by Sandhurst’s Galen Munari.
The Dragons were also well served by Jake McLean, Luke O’Sullivan and David Coghlan.
Charlie Bowyer and Fergus Greene kicked three goals each.
Golden Square, which was gunning for back-to-back flags, had good players in Dale Lowry, who was omitted from the senior side, Jordan Waldron (three goals), Lachlan Woodward and William Lee.