Finals are about producing your best on the big stage, and that’s exactly what East Point did to upset minor premier Sunbury in the Ballarat Football Netball League A grade preliminary final.
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East Point delivered a 44 goals to 28 victory to bundle the Lions out of the finals series and set-up a meeting with North Ballarat City.
An outstanding third quarter proved the difference. Sunbury led by a goal at quarter and half-time, before the Kangaroos piled on 16 goals to just four in the third to stream away with the match.
East Point were confident at half-time, pleased to be in the match by this stage and with full faith in its ability to run out the game.
A couple of positional tweaks saw Lauren Jew move into wing attack for the first time this season, to great effect, and Indy Burke went into wing defence.
East Point co-coach Jo McMillan could not be happier.
“To say that it all came together is a bit of an understatement for us,” McMillan said.
“The focus had been on having a strong start, or at the very least containing their start, doing that gave us a bit of confidence.
“It was the third quarter that the girls put the pedal to the metal and executed really well.
“It was a combination of having a much stronger mindset and a far greater focus on our game and what we needed to do...rather than worrying too much about the opposition. It was just a full-court dominating performance, every player contributed to that.”
McMillan said while the girls thoroughly enjoyed Saturday’s win, the focus quickly shifted to grand final preparations.
But she felt her side would gain an invaluable amount of belief from the performance.
“It’s a lovely feeling to know you’ve made a grand final, but they’re already refocusing and ensuring that they prepare themselves in the right way.
“We’ve now proven that we’re more than capable when we stick to our gameplan and we worry about the things we have control over.
“I’ve got no doubt that yesterday’s win will give them a sense of confidence but also a reassuring self-belief and understanding of what they are actually capable of.”