Ahead of this weekend’s Riddell District Football League grand final, Liam Twomey looks back at the last three games between the two sides.
2014 grand final
Romsey defeated Diggers Rest 9.17 (71) – 7.11 (53)
On the biggest day of the year, it was the underdog, Diggers Rest, that made the better start. The Burras booted the only two goals in the opening quarter to take a nine-point lead into the break. The slow start fired up the Redbacks, who returned to form at the resumption of play. Romsey kicked seven goals to two across the next two terms to all but seal the win. Ayden Tessari and Bradley Mitchell were the standouts for Romsey, while Cole Laurie and Thomas Gleeson were named among the best for the Burras.
2015 round 4
Romsey defeated Diggers Rest 15.12 (102) – 12.7 (79)
It was Romsey that fired the first shot early in the 2015 season, with a host of players making an impact on the scoreboard. Walid Saad, Bradley Mitchell and Benjamin Way booted three goals each to help guide the Redbacks to a 23-point win. Diggers Rest’s Cameron McCabe and Luke Smailes were among the goals, while Jamie Lobb was impressive. Speaking after the match, victorious Romsey coach Dean Helmers said: “I was really pleased with the pressure in midfield. They couldn’t get clean disposal on the outside and it’s something we’re working really hard on. I look at the scoreboard and I don’t think it printed the picture of the dominance of the game. We were in a different class, to be honest.”
2015 semi-final
Diggers Rest defeated Romsey 16.14 (110) – 13.11 (89)
With a spot in the grand final and a week off on the line, Diggers Rest hit the ground running at Riddells Creek Oval. The Burras booted five first-quarter goals to open up a 24-point lead. The Redbacks refused to give up, closing the margin to single figures by three-quarter-time. But Diggers Rest seized the momentum with the first three goals of the final term slammed through by Jason Williams, Luke Smailes and coach Shaun Sims. Speaking after the match, Sims said: “I thought we started fairly well and they probably missed a couple of chances early, which gave us a decent lead at quarter-time. Our coaches 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’d keep coming back and they kept pushing.”
