Casey Cardinia qualifying final preview – Experience: key to qualify

By DAVID NAGEL
CRANBOURNE, the big, bad, angry and dangerous raging bull of Casey Cardinia Football will look to shake off the inexperienced cowboys from Tooradin when the two teams lock horns in Saturday’s qualifying final at Doveton.
The Eagles are a powerful beast with a wealth of finals experience and they’ll hit Robinson Oval like a stampede. How the Seagulls, with their mix of balance and determination, hold on during that early release of power will decide whether they are a genuine contender or merely making up the September numbers.
It’s said that a good bull rider needs strong legs and upper body, fast reflexes and the ability to handle pain…if that’s the case, then the Seagulls are well equipped to lock down and turn this match into a war of attrition.
Dual Norm Walker Medallist, Beau Miller, was cut from this cloth, and along with Matt Wade, Michael Hobbs and Ryan White, form an elite mid field that can match it with the Eagles best. The reigning premiers lack nothing in comparison however, with Curtis Barker, Leigh Holt, Matt Fletcher and Matt Rus all premium-cut performers.
“You can break it down to one-on-one footy, mid field versus midfield, and I’m really confident the slight adjustments we’ve made recently will give us a huge lift in that area,” a bullish Tooradin coach Tom Hallinan said.
“Cranbourne will get a different look than what they saw when we played them a few weeks back.”
Hallinan refers to their round 14 clash, where the Seagulls led at every change before the Eagles kicked 4.2 to no score in the last quarter to run out 25-point winners. Both full-forwards, Tooradin’s Julian Suarez and Cranbourne’s Marc Holt, were missing that day, and while Suarez has been impressive with 57 goals in his debut season, it’s the imperial presence of Holt that could turn this match on its head.
Holt’s combination of speed and brute strength give him a huge advantage in gaining marking position. Once there, he sticks his butt out to render defenders completely useless; there’s simply no answer. Ominously, he’s in career best form with 130 goals from 14 games the stuff of legend.
Hallinan could start Sam Watson or Mark Engley on Holt, but Adam Galea’s tough defensive brand might give him first crack at the title. Look for Stuart Morrish to stand Suarez.
Cranbourne has talls in Michael Theodoridis and Andrew White who can complement Holt, while champion Justin Berry, Matt Davey and Fletcher are dangerous down low. Tooradin can pinch-hit with the versatile trio of Aaron Hyde, Daniel Elton and Adam Splatt, but relies on its midfield to take the scoring pressure off Suarez.
So how do the reigning champs feel as they begin their title defence?
“Last year, we came in with a bee in our bonnet after 2010 (straight sets exit) and results said we were clearly the best team all year, but that’s not the case this year,” Eagles coach Doug Koop said.
“We’ve got some work to do and that starts with Tooradin. They’ve got a blend of young and old and the young haven’t played finals, so we’re hoping that edge in experience will be to our benefit. Experience helps you focus on the things that really matter at this time of year.”
TIP
Cranbourne firmly believes this is a stepping stone to higher honours and won’t be intimidated by the bright lights of September. Tooradin has been brave all season, but this is a huge step up. They won’t be able to stop the brute strength of Holt, or the big game heroics of Berry and the Eagles will progress by roughly 10 goals.