Tanunda reserves backed up their minor premiership, moving through to the grand final with an impressive 33-point win over Angaston in horrific conditions at the Angaston oval.
Tanunda struck an early blow while their legs were fresh and the ball still not water logged when Trent Burge nailed the opening goal of the game.
“That goal was really important,” Bob Smart, Tanunda playing coach said.
“We spoke before the game about wanting to put one on the board and that in the two junior games, the team that kicked two goals in the first quarter won.
“If we did, Angaston would need to do something big to come back. The reaction of the team when he kicked that goal was pretty special, I knew then we were in with a real chance.”
Smart said team placed a high value on the work of ruckman, and Shrek look alike, Will Grosser.
“We saw in the early games that the most effective ruck contests involved the ball just being smashed forward and Will’s got such a big body that he could just power through the contest and give us a shot at a clear possession.
He rucked all day in what was a great effort.”
Grosser’s job got a little easier midway through the first term when giant Angaston ruckman Kym Reimann left the field requiring six stitches in his lower lip.
Reimann gave away a free kick, then smothered the kick and in the process of attempting to secure the loose ball in the mud clashed heads with his foe.
Angaston was able to hit back with a goal from key forward Dave Dahlenburg but the Magpies reclaimed the momentum before quarter time when Leigh Underwood kicked the first of his two goals.
Gareth Davis was impressive in the centre for the Pies while Ben Burgess led the way for the Panthers, showcasing his silky skills in the mud.
In the end it was the sheer grunt Tanunda could employ right across the ground that got the job done with their bigger, stronger bodies better suited to the conditions combined with Angaston’s mistakes and inability to stick tackles at pivotal moments.
Apart from the Tanunda boys who are now set for the grand final at Willaston in two weeks, the happiest man watching this game would have been Nuri reserves coach Nat Salter as his team will face a very sore and tired Angaston unit in the preliminary final at Nuri this week.
Tanunda remain the favourites to claim their third reserves flag in five years as they have so much talent on every line combined with a knowledge of what it takes to win.
That is something their vanquished opponents need to discover after decades of mediocrity at reserves level.
Angaston coach Peter Cameron now faces the challenge of not only preparing his charges physically, but also mentally, for a do or die clash with their arch-rival Nuriootpa.
That game, at Nuriootpa, is also more than likely to be played once more in muddy conditions.
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