St Bedes/Mentone Tigers booked a date in the VAFA Premier B Grand Final and in so-doing earnt promotion to Premier Division in 2017 after an uncompromising 27 point victory over premiership favourites Beaumaris at Trevor Barker Oval, Sandringham on Saturday. The Tigers were off to a flying start with an early goal to Chris Richards but thereafter the first quarter was a slog as Beaumaris peppered the goals to little avail before the Mentone team kicked away to a handy twelve point lead at quarter time.
The second quarter was ominous for St Bedes as the opposition controlled the football and launched numerous attacks as the Tigers, with Ben Dance and James Tyquin leading from the front, fought to minimise the damage but, notwithstanding, at half time found themselves an uncomfortable 10 points in arrears. The turnaround from the start of the third quarter was emblematic of how this team has carried itself throughout the season when faced with adversity (on multiple occasions) – first they knuckle down, tackle with ferocity, win the tough contests and will the ball forward. From a precarious position at half time the Mentone team, through Lachie Mirams in the ruck, Brayden O’Toole around the ground and Johnny Cayhan and Brett Denton at the coalface, dragged themselves back into the contest to lead by the narrowest margin at the final break. At the start of the last, again the Blue team took the lead with consecutive goals to lead by 11 points at the 5 minute mark but the Tigers, as they have shown all year, were not done – their season so far is littered with come-from-behind wins, never conceding and the mental toughness which goes with these attributes. Their season has been built on situations like this and as such were extremely well prepared for the Finals pressure that they now encountered….. From this 11 point deficit the Tigers kicked 7 of the next 8 goals to overrun a tiring opposition and, with Simon Richards, Pat Hurst and Michael Barnes slicing out of the centre and Jaryd Robertson making every contest, this very even Mentone outfit blasted into another Grand Final and deservedly transitioned the club into stratosphere of VAFA Premier Division for 2017. The Senior Development team had a meritorious 10 point victory in their First Semi Final against Parkdale on Sunday. Parkdale kicked the first goal of the game but from then on the Tigers took control moving the ball with skill and speed through Josh Heron and Nick Seeber and extending their 14 point quarter time lead to 19 points at the long break. After half time St Bedes dominated, principally through Mitch Kent and Johnny Dawes in the air and Trent Pastura who was electric out of the centre and around the packs, to take a 28 point lead – which should have been more except for a couple of late lapses – into the orange break. The Tigers had left a window of opportunity for the Two Blues and without the herculean efforts of Lew Stutterd who was everywhere and Damien Waters who was impassable in defence the result may have been different but in the end the Mentone team refused to succumb and came away with the 10 point result they were looking for. The Tigers will face the winner of next Saturday’s Preliminary Final between Beaumaris and Old Scotch in the Premier B Grand Final on Saturday week (17th September) at Trevor Barker Oval while the Development Team take on Old Scotch in their Preliminary Final next Saturday at the same venue.