By Gary Stocks
After 18 weeks of preliminaries, the WAAFL season gets to the point end and the focus will fall heavily on Charles Riley Reserve this Saturday – as it so often has in the last 12 seasons.
North Beach has won nine of the last 11 premierships, but it counts for nought as the quest for the 2010 flag intensifies with the second semi-final against Whitford held at the Beach’s home ground.
The Tigers earned the opportunity to host the second semi-final courtesy of finishing on top of the table, winning the minor premiership with a decisive 10 point advantage over its nearest rivals. Now, it is time to step it up.
The strength and depth of North Beach will be on display with the A-Reserves working their way into the second semi-final courtesy of a hard-working victory against North Fremantle in testing conditions at McGillivray Oval last week.
The Beach will play Trinity-Aquinas, the club that has dominated the Reserves competition in recent seasons, at 12.30pm and will be looking to take advantage of the support home ground and crowd in a game where victory will take it directly to the Grand Final.
North Beach has won the last six A-Grade pennants and that experience could be decisive against their northern suburbs rival.
Josh McGinnity has been rewarded for an outstanding exhibition in the reserves triumph last Saturday, by elevation into a powerful-looking senior team.
A Grade
B: Smith, Ingham, Cunningham
HB: Brennan, Jarvis, Ward
C: Bandy, J. Nunan, Bryan
HF: McGinnity, Wilson, Witheridge
F: Perkin, Paap, O’Donnell
R: J. Boys, Pearce, Reimann
I/C: Hack, Power, Turner, A. Nunan
A Reserves
B: Stockden, T. Langsford, M. Duckworth
HB: Treager, Potts, Sajich
C:Heap, Italiano, Hendricks
HF: Fishlock, Harwood, Holbrook
F: Brooks, Wattleworth, R McCommiskie
R: Gooch, Pires, Dwyer
I/C: Billi, Thomas, Allen, A.Langsford
A big crowd is expected at Charles Riley, so get down and urge the boys to success.
While this weekend will focus on team success, several individuals were recognised at the WAAFL Fairest and Best night on Wednesday night. Tigerish midfielder Brett Rice won the top gong in the E-Grade, centre half-back Cale Potts was runner-up in the A-Reserves, Jake Robinson was third in the E-Grade poll and Keegan Knott was third in the Phil Scott Colts voting.
