Diggers Rest will be hoping it’s a case of third time lucky in its bid for this year’s Riddell District Football League cup.
After narrowly losing the past two grand finals, the Burras have again qualified for the biggest game of the year.
They booked their place in the main game after a 21-point win against Romsey on Saturday.
Despite leading at every change, there was nothing easy about the win, with the Burras forced to fight hard all afternoon.
Leading by just nine points at the final break, Diggers Rest seized the momentum with the first three goals of the final quarter slammed through by Jason Williams, Luke Smailes and coach Shaun Sims.
“I thought we started fairly well and they probably missed a couple of chances early, which gave us a decent lead at quarter-time,” Sims said.
“Our coaching staff had planned really well and we followed through with that for most of the game.
“There were a couple of chances where we could have run away with the game. Credit to Romsey, though; they would keep coming back and kept pushing.”
Williams was a clear standout for his side, finishing with five goals.
He was well supported by Smailes and Jamie Lobb, who each kicked three.
Around the ground, Thomas Gleeson and Cameron McCabe were impressive.
“Jason was playing on-ball and ended up with five goals,” Sims said.
“He just took his opportunities. He’s such a hard match-up when he’s on the forward line.
“Our forward line has been very flexible all year. We seem to have a lot of guys popping up and kicking goals.”
For Romsey, Mitchell Farmer’s six goals weren’t enough to snatch the game. The Redbacks struggled with avenues to goal, with only five players hitting the scoreboard.
Diggers Rest now enjoys the perfect preparation leading into a grand final.
The Burras will look on as Romsey and Broadford square off in the RDFL’s preliminary final. They then face the winner of that match in the grand final on Sunday, September 20.
Diggers Rest has beaten both opponents this year.
Elsewhere at the weekend, Diggers Rest was successful in its reserves competition, defeating Rupertswood by a single point.
In a thrilling, if not frustrating encounter, the Burras held on to the lead by a single-digit thread for most of the afternoon.
Diggers Rest then kicked 1.5 in the last term, which proved enough for the Burras to hold on until the siren for their nail-biting 6.14 (50) – 7.7 (49) win.
