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FIRST SEMI-FINAL
Sebastopol's dream of a first Ballarat Football League premiership remains alive.
The Burra stayed in the hunt with a gritty seven-point win over Redan in the second semi-final at Wendouree on Sunday.
Sebastopol out-lasted the Lions 5.3 (33) to 3.8 (26) in wet conditions which tested the mental and physical resolve of every player.
It was the Burra's first win in a final since the 2000 preliminary final - the last time it played finals.
Sebastopol now continues its quest against Melton in the preliminary final at the City Oval on Saturday, with the prize a grand final encounter with East Point.
The Roos reached their second grand final in a row with a 37-point win over Melton at the City Oval on Saturday.
With rain and an icy wind prevailing, the Sebastopol and Redan clash was going to be a last-man standing affair and this was exactly how it finished.
Sebastopol did not score in the first quarter and added just one behind in the third, with its goals kicked in three bursts - the first on 16 minutes in the second and another two well into time-on.
The Burra found the two match-winners in the space of two minutes in the last quarter on the cusp of time-on after against trend Liam Hoy goaled three minutes after the last break to wrest a three-point lead for Redan.
Tony Lockyer and Ryan Noether were match-winners for Sebastopol.
As he has all year Lockyer was as solid as a rock in defence - repelling the Lions repeatedly in the opening and third terms when play was almost exclusively in Redan's attacking zone. It took Sebastopol 19 minutes to get into attack in the first quarter.
Noether had a run-with job on the dangerous Lachie George. Although the Lion was damaging, Noether earned the plaudits of an ecstatic Sebastopol coach Leigh Hutchinson for a tireless display.
Orren Stephenson was the stand-out big man. Toby Thoolen threw everything at the Lion veteran and kept at it all day, but Stephenson was in a class of his own as a tap ruckman and around the ground when he handed the football as if it was a dry day.
Redan coach Jarrett Giampaolo and Pat Britt had big days in defence, while Dean Mathews was lively in the midfield.
What made Sebastopol's performance all the more the impressive was that it lost Luke Kiel on Sunday morning with illness despite getting over concussion and Brett Goodes (calf) - two of its best - from the selected side. They added to the absence of key forwards Michael Powell (ankle) and James Keeble (hamstrring).
If the size of the crowd that mulled around the Sebastopol huddle at three quarter time was anything to go by, one could sense that the Burra rated itself a big chance of over-running the Lions.
And when the final siren sounded, it sent the CE Brown Reserve into a spin as the long suffering Sebastopol fans and players celebrated.
Leigh Hutchinson was clearly elated.
"It's all the hard work we've put in over the past few years as a club, and we get an opportunity to go again next weekend for potentially a spot in the grand final.
"It was always going to be a tough game. We knew that Redan weren't going to roll over so we had to make a few positional changes to try to keep on top," he said.
In contrast, Jarrett Giampaolo was understandably "shattered" by the result.
He urged his players to stick together as a group next year and return the proud Lions to where they belong.
PRELIMINARY FINALS
at City Oval on Saturday
SENIORS: Melton v Sebastopol, 2.15pm
RESERVES: Redan v East Point, 11.55am
UNDER-19: Redan v Sunbury, 9.55am
FIRST SEMI-FINALS at CE Brown Reserve, Wendouree, on Sunday
SENIORS
Sebastopol 0.0, 3.1, 3.2, 5.3 (33)
Redan 0.3, 1.3, 2.5, 3.8 (26)
GOALS - Sebastopol: Geoffrey Lovett 2, Bradley Weightman 2, Matt Austin 1. Redan: Grant Bell 1, Liam Hoy 1, Cooper Atchison 1
BEST - Sebastopol: Ryan Noether, Tony Lockyer, Daniel Widgery, Geoffrey Lovett, Matt Austin, Jai Harvey. Redan: Orren Stephenson, Jarrett Giampaolo, Daniel Bond, Patrick Britt, Lachlan George, Liam O'Brien
RESERVES
East Point 3.3, 5.7, 7.9, 8.13 (61)
Darley 0.4, 0.5, 1.5, 1.5 (11)
GOALS - East Point: Bailey Medwell 2, Christopher Quinlan 1, Jack McClure 1, Chris Banwell 1, Nicholas Canny 1, Steven Tung 1, Jeremy Learmonth 1. Darley: Joseph Nesci 1
BEST - East Point: Paul Kodorenko, Joseph Dodd, Isaac Quick, Lachlan Thornton, Nicholas Canny, Jeremy Learmonth. Darley: Duncan Cadman, Joseph Nesci, Bryce Stephenson, Jack Bewley, Dale Peacock, Travis Stephenson
UNDER-19
Redan 1.0, 1.4, 4.8, 5.11 (41)
Melton 0.4, 2.6, 4.7, 4.9 (33)
GOALS - Redan: Sam McDougall 1, Ryan Jerera 1, Jack Richards 1, Loris Bayly 1, Finn Lappin 1. Melton: Jai Whitehand 2, Johnny Armstrong 1, Hudson Wilde 1
BEST - Redan: Harry Twaits, Elijah Kelly, Sam McDougall, Declan Murphy, Liam Phillips, Loris Bayly. Melton: Hudson Wilde, Brock Willmott, Adam Tomac, Jake Syme, Justin Newton, Bailey Mawson
SECOND SEMI-FINAL
East Point coach Jake Bridges has issued a warning to his players about getting ahead of themselves in pursuit of back-to-back Ballarat Football League premierships.
The Roos advanced to a second consecutive grand final with a 37-point win over Melton in the second semi-final at the City Oval on Saturday - reversing the outcome of the corresponding match last year.
Bridges said all East Point had achieved was create an opportunity to play in a grand final.
He said to get into a position to play in back-to-back flag was tremendous and should be enjoyed, but it was too early to be patting each other on the back.
East Point out-played Melton at its own game, with an emphasis on defence.
The Roos have been potent offensively and largely miserly in defence, and it was the latter which stopped the Bloods in their tracks.
Injury meant Drew Murphy and Lucas Dahlenburg missed last year's premiership with injury and left no doubt about their hunger to grabbed their opportunity with decisive defensive roles as Bridges chose to adopt run-with tactics to close down Melton's dangerous Matt Denham, Braedan Kight and Billy Crofts.
And it worked, with the Bloods trio struggling to get into the game. Chris Carson was another effective defender.
Without a specialist ruckman, East Point chose to lock Joel Van Meel on Melton's number one big man Ben Archard and Dallas Martin on centre half forward/ruckman Mark Orr.
Archard was Melton's best in the first half, but did struggle late, while Orr was among its more consistent contributors, but East Point's wide spread of on-ballers still had the better of the day.
Dylan Stevens was one Melton player who did get off the leash. He led the way early and then went sent deep in to attack led the Bloods' late charge with two quick goals in the last quarter.
Daniel Walker was also a constant headache near goal for East Point.
Jake McQueen was the Roos' main man - covering enormous ground in four quarter effort.
He was instrumental in the Roos getting away by four goals in the first term and then responding after Melton closed within 16 points seven minutes into the last quarter after playing catch-up all day.
Matt Johnston was another major influence in the formative phase when the match-winning break was established.
Melton did not get its first goal until six minutes in the second quarter with the win at its back, but it continued to be restrained by an inability to match East Point's clean ball-handling and more direct attack on the football.
The Bloods kept themselves in with a chance with two majors in the third quarter to the Roos' wasteful 2.7.
For a few minutes in the last stanza Melton looked a chance of repeating its heroics of the previous week, but East Point steadied and polished off the match with three goals.
SECOND SEMI-FINALS at City Oval on Saturday
SENIORS
East Point 4.4, 7.8, 9.15, 12.19 (91)
Melton 0.1, 4.4, 6.5, 8.6 (54)
GOALS - East Point: J. Brown 2, J. McQueen 2, B. Whittaker 2, D. Semmens 2, A. Nestor 1, C. Lovig 1, M. Johnston 1, J. Johnston 1. Melton: D. Stevens 2, D. Walker 2, L. Carter 2, S. Campbell 1, J. Hickey 1
BEST - East Point: J. Van Meel, J. Taylor, C. Lovig, J. Johnston, J. Baird, D. Semmens. Melton: R. Carter, L. Walker, D. Walker, M. Orr, D. Stevens, B. Archard
RESERVES
Sunbury 3.2, 6.7, 10.12, 12.13 (85)
Redan 2.3, 4.3, 4.6, 5.7 (37)
GOALS - Sunbury: J. Bygate 5, B. Brennan 5, B. Guthrie 1, C. Hansen 1. Redan: L. Scheele 2, T. Robertson 1, L. Withers 1, K. Hayes 1.
BEST - Sunbury: M. Trimboli, J. Bygate, B. Brennan, A. Gilbertson, T. Hill, J. Rizk. Redan: L. Withers, X. Curran, H. Edwards, R. Petrascu, D. Okely, J. Baker.
UNDER-19
North Ballarat City 4.1, 4.2, 7.2, 9.3 (57)
Sunbury 1.1, 3.2, 6.3, 7.4 (46)
GOALS - North Ballarat City: M. McKee 2, B. Haintz 1, L. Opie 1, C. Patterson 1, R. Ranieri 1, F. Loader, D. Graham 1, W. Peucker 1. Sunbury: L. Goater 2, T. Schwarzenberg 1, J. Cree 1, C. Lever 1, N. Doyle 1, B. Landt 1.
BEST - North Ballarat City: D. Graham, I. Pertzel, B. Haintz, H. Mulcahy, R. Polkinghorne, R. O'Keefe. Sunbury: J. Cree, N. Doyle, B. Landt, C. Lever, J. Muir, L. Jones.