Albany advance to preliminary final after thrilling seven-point GSFL elimination final win over rivals Royals

Albany coach Jamie Ramm has praised his side’s strong defensive display as they claimed a thrilling seven-point win against Royals in the Great Southern Football League elimination final at Retravision Stadium on Saturday. It was just the second time the Sharks have defeated the Lions in a league game in their history and came on the back of a wonderful six-goal performance from former AFL player and star forward Brett Peake. Peake was on fire in the front half and had five majors by half-time to help power the Sharks into a preliminary final for the second straight year. The Lions hit the front early but the Sharks replied with immense pressure to snatch the lead back immediately, leading at every change as they held on to record a famous victory, 9.8 (62) to 7.13 (55). “We knew that having everyone back in the squad, it wasn’t just gonna happen itself,” Ramm said. “Our going forward side of the game is good, there’s nothing wrong with it. “But our defensive side gets shown up sometimes and at times we get big scores kicked against us so the players we put in there were pretty defensive and hard. “We tackled beautifully and I thought the pressure was there all day and even the first half I thought our attack on the footy was really good. “Fraser (Eaton) had a real tussle with David Parker who is a wonderful player and they both had their moments but we didn’t just let him run forward and kick four goals, he had to work for it this time.” Ramm said the Sharks were focused on securing a maiden grand final berth and would take confidence from their second finals victory. “I think that we need to treat this one a little differently because last year when we got the win (in the elimination final), it was like we won the grand final,” he said. “It’s only the first semi and for us to grow as a club we need to really have a go at making the grand final.” There was plenty of aggression between the two sides early on but the Sharks were on the back foot as Lions Rory Luscombe and Ethan Panizza bobbed up to slot through set shots in the opening five minutes of the contest. However, Peake led superbly in the forward half and finished with three goals to help the Sharks open up an 11-point advantage at the first break. The Sharks came out with ferocious intent in the second quarter before David Parker broke free from a pack to slot a running goal. However, a close-range snap from Isaac Baum and two more majors from Peake late in the term helped the Sharks take a game-high 14-point margin into the long break. With the conditions worsening, Panizza kicked another early in the third term but both sides were left to rue a run of missed chances. Sharks’ Matt Martin missed an opportunity from 45m out before Panizza sprayed a shot wide running into the goal square at the 19-minute mark of the third term and the Sharks held a slender 14-point lead at the last break. Seb Stanton reinvigorated his side with an early goal from close range before a pinpoint Cameron Allison kick set up Coel Hunter, who converted to drag the margin back to a point. But Peake emerged once again, kicking a clutch goal from 45m out on the boundary line to answer back with less than 10 minutes to play. After a free kick was awarded to Parker, Hunter converted the downfield free to again make it a one-point game. However at the other end, Cameron Jones launched a torpedo punt to the goal square to find the chest of Martin who played on and sealed the game in the dying stages to cap a dramatic win and spark jubilant scenes from the Sharks faithful. The Sharks had terrific contributions from Peake (six goals) while Robbie Lee, Baum, Marlin Bennett and Fraser Eaton were outstanding through the middle of the ground. Kane Pinney and Cameron Jones were also telling figures in the back half. Midfielders Parker, Allison and Zak Mola worked tirelessly for the losing side while Stanton and Daniel Archbold-Mortensen also impressed, but they were dealt a blow before the bounce losing key tall Hamish McMorran to a hand injury. Lions coach Andrew Ruck said while he was disappointed with the outcome, the Sharks were the better side on the day. “I thought it was a really good game, they played really well and probably just cracked in a bit harder for longer,” he said. “It was good for our boys to come back and have a crack in the last, but we just couldn’t find a match winner, we couldn’t find anyone who could bob up and kick a couple of goals when we needed them. “The good sign for the season is we’ve got lots of games into young blokes, we just tried to get as many games into them as possible. “Lorcan McNamara nearly played every game, Regan Askevold played 12 or 13, Ben Altus played 10 or 11, so I think it holds us in good stead for next year. “Footy’s a bit cyclical ... I just think it was one of those years for us but credit is due to the Sharks. “They were bigger, stronger and took their opportunities up forward and that’s what finals are about.”