A battle to the end

Berwick skipper Madi Andrews led his team to victory against Pakenham and will be looking to repeat the dose against Cranbourne at Holm Park Road on Sunday. 126518 Picture: ROB CAREW

By DAVID NAGEL

CASEY CARDINIA FOOTBALL NETBALL LEAGUE
FIRST SEMI-FINAL – Sunday at Beaconsfield

CRANBOURNE’s title as a powerhouse of the Casey Cardinia Football League goes on the line on Sunday when the Eagles take on Berwick in the first semi-final at Holm Park Road.
Finishing fourth just won’t cut it for the Eagles who have made a habit of shining on the big stage, having played in the last three grand finals.
But key injuries, inconsistent form, and a fired up and confident opponent make this week’s challenge one of their biggest yet. Berwick coach Rhys Nisbet understands what will confront his side with the Eagles having their backs against the wall.
“They won’t be happy about losing to Beaconsfield last week and they’re a fantastic finals’ side,” Nisbet said.
“We go in confident, but I have a deep respect for Cranbourne, I always have, they’re such a hard team to beat because they never give up. We’re not getting ahead of ourselves but we really do believe we can make an impact in the next month of footy.”
Berwick appears to be back to its early season best, with a healthy list and the form of some key players in stark contrast to the Eagles current plight.
Some of the Eagles most influential players were dreadfully quiet last week against Beaconsfield and will be looking to rebound. Michael Theodoridis was soundly beaten by Brandon White; while Ryan Jones and Luke Bee-Hugo provided little of the run and carry that has been their trademark all season.
The Eagles rely heavily on the pace and penetration of both Jones and Bee-Hugo to give their forwards, like skipper Marc Holt and Theodoridis, the opportunity to compete one-on-one. Beaconsfield did a wonderful job of shutting the duo down, and doing the same will surely be a key focus for Nisbet and his Berwick coaching crew on the weekend.
The Eagles lost two key players to injury last week, but can cover those omissions. The return of Matt Rus will offset the loss of Matt Thompson, while Ray George is likely to return and fill the void left by Daniel Baker and his dislocated shoulder.
But the key in for the Eagles is their midfield maestro, Curtis Barker, who should return after missing last week’s qualifying final with a niggling groin.
Barker’s absence last week was glaring for a number of reasons.
His ball winning abilities are one thing, but the Eagles just look unorganised and at times unaccountable when Barker is not there to direct traffic. The Eagles are already missing another key on-baller in Ryan Davey to a long-term injury, so Barker’s inclusion could be pivotal as to whether the Eagles hang up the boots, or progress through the weekend.
The Eagles really do need a boost around the contest, with Berwick’s toughness and teamwork around the ball, the qualities that were clear for all to see in the early part of the season, returning in recent times. A surprise Round 16 defeat at the hands of Tooradin was a wakeup call according to skipper Madi Andrews.
“After the Tooradin game we worked hard to gel again, to get that bond back, and that mateship was there again today,” Andrews said after last week’s win over Pakenham.
“Just the will to win finals’ footy is really strong within the group right now and the effort in the last quarter was just super.
“We’re back to playing team footy, we went away from that a bit, but its back now and we’re looking forward to the road ahead.”
Berwick’s ability to shut down Holt and Theodoridis will be crucial, so it may have to move the bigger body of Michael Manley back into defence, robbing the Wickers of a key focal point up forward. It might not be such a concern however, with the Eagles well equipped to handle key forwards… it’s more your quick and elusive targets, like Mitch Johnson and Ryan Eaton, who could cause concerns.

THE TIP
Cranbourne won’t give up its powerhouse title without one hell of a fight… this will be a battle to the end.
They may have injuries, but you just don’t achieve, like this team has achieved in recent years, without having that certain something special.
Expect players like Max Gearon, Mat Fletcher, Brandon Osborne and Leigh Holt to show the qualities of champions and get the Eagles home by three points in a thriller.