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Finals Preview Week 2 – 27/3/09

Written by Leon Retallick
With Bendigo Lawn going through to the Grand Final last week, Spring Gully Mozzies and Strath Park Storm will be left to fight out the preliminary final this weekend for a place in the season decider.  In Section two minor premiers Spring Gully Sensation will be favoured to beat Epsom and look to have another crack at Spring Gully New China.

Premier League

Preliminary Final : Spring Gully Mozzies vs Strath Park Storm 
@ CCC 1, 6 & 7

Spring Gully Mozzies: Jamie Brown, Travis Toner, Steven Rogers, Peter Valentine, Jessica Hartland, Bronwyn Osborne, Danielle Bowles

Strath Park Storm:  Terry Smith, Michael Smyth, Andrew Lethlean, Michael Hogan, Danny Watson, James McArthur, Michelle Rodwell and Tova Smith

This Season:
Rd 2: Spring Gully Mozzies 4 sets 78 games lost to Strath Park Storm 8 sets 74 games
Rd 8: Spring Gully Mozzies 8 sets 85 Games def Strath Park Storm 4 sets 71 games
Rd 13: Match abondend due to heat
At one win each through the preliminary rounds both proven that they have what it takes to match the other.  In Strath Parks round 2 victory it was their men who lead the charge, taking all their singles and doubles sets in a dominant display.  The Mozzies fella's however regrouped in round 8, with their powerhouse ladies ensuring victory.

Key Players:
Jamie Brown (Mozzies) - It would be fair to say that Jamie Brown is not in the form he would like to be in at this time of year. He was completely outplayed last week by the Garwood brothers and will now have the though task of fronting a Storm mens line up full of confidence.  He is however a premiership captain and maybe saving his best form for the most important matches. 

Jessica Hartland (Mozzies) - Jessica has been the heart and sole of the Mozzies team for several years now and has become accustomed to leading her team to victory.  This year however, there has been a new breed of challenges with Ashlea Baker, Eliza Long, Alyssa Cole and her old foe Mandy Connors-Butson, on the heals of the competition barometer.  Hartland will again be asked to curtail the good form of Storms improving women of Michelle Rodwell and Tova Smith. 

Andrew Lethlean (Storm) - The secret appears to be out, no Lethlean, no Storm!  Prior to last week elimination final Andrew hadn't played a match for the defending champions since before Christmas, which coincidentally was the last time the Storm actually won a match.  Lethlean steps back into the line up and presto, the team win again.  Andrew is a dominate player who's crushing serve and good touch around the net make him an extremely dangerous player to any opposing line up.  He combines well in the doubles and his form in the singles last week in destroying Frank Ryan was surpurb.  If he can contiune that good form at the No 2 spot, then the Storm will be a massive chance at the mixed.

Michelle Rodwell (Storm) - Rodwell started the year at the no 2 position to partner Tova Smith, however, her tremendous form this year has seen her step up to the no 1 mantel for the second half of the year.  Rodwell is in career best form having failed to drop a game last week in her teams victory over South Bendigo.  Rodwell and Smith must try to find a way to stay competitive with powerful Mozzies combination of Jessica Hartland and Bronwyn Osborne if Strath are to be a chance at the mixed. 

Why Mozzies will win!
The Mozzies have been the team to beat over the past three years, winning two of the past three finals and narrowly going down to Storm in last years nail bitter by 1 solitary game. Apart from last weeks hick-up their form throughout the second half of the year has also been very good. Jessica Hartland and Bronwyn Osborne should dominant the ladies matches, whilst the mozzies men of Brown, Toner, Rogers and Valentine are good enough to hold their own.  With the match likely to come down to the mixed, the mozzies experienced combinations should ensure a hard fought victory.

Why Storm will win!
If experience counts for anything then Storm are definitely in with a chance.  Michael Smyth, Michelle Rodwell and Tova Smith all formed part of the premiership winning team from last year.  Throw in the added depth of supervet Terry Smith, Andrew Lethlean and Michael Hogan and the Storms chances start to look very good.  Their key will come in the men, where they must win a majority of their sets to be in front at the mixed.  Should they be far enough in front, they might beable to withstand the expected barrage which will come from the mozzies at the mixed.

Verdict:
Strange things generally happen when these two teams play, like in round two where the mozzies lost 8 sets to 4 yet managed to win more games than their opponents.  Or last years final where it looked all over at the mixed, only for the Storm to take the last two sets of the day 8-2 and 8-3 to win by 1 game.  Expect a similar result this time around with perhaps the Storm again getting the points.
Storm to win on 7 sets to 5 in a tight match

Section 2

Preliminary Final: Spring Gully Sensation vs Epsom 
@ CCC 8 & 9

Spring Gully Sensation: Paul Henshall, Jim Long, John McMillian, Mark Perdon, Jane St. Clair, Jennifer Jacobs, Grace Tait and Georgie Henshall

Epsom: Tony Ilott, Darren Lewis, Terry Baker, Cameron Davies, Steven Osborn, Josh Thurwood, Tracey Ilott, Leonie Crawford, Helen Dudley, Josie Stewart and Breanna Thurwood

This Season
Rd 4: Epsom 3 sets 43 games lost to Spring Gully Sensation 7 sets 67 games
Rd 9 Epsom 2 sets 55 games lost to Spring Gully Sensation 8 sets 80 games
Rd 13: match abandoned due to heat

In Brief:
If you look at the track form between these two teams this year, this match looks like a one horse race.  On both previous occasions it has been Spring Gully Sensation by a long way, with Epsom yet to get within 20 games of their opponents.  That said however, Epsom are the form team going into this match with last weeks strong elimination final win over Spring Gully Blue. Sensation on the other hand suffered their first loss of the season in the first semi final, taking a belting from Spring Gully New China in a match which was over at the mixed.

Verdict:
Sensation shouldn't hit the panic button yet though.  Their form this year has been superb and they did manage to pick up the two remaining mixed sets of the day last week to give themselves something to take from the match.  They should be able to pickup enough early sets to ensure their strong mixed combination brings home the win.

Sensation to win 7 sets to 3.

Section 3

Preliminary Final : BLTC Rafa v BLTC Federer
@ CCC 16 & 17

Verdict:
BLTC Rafa are expected to be too strong in the ladies matches and should win a close match 6 sets to 4.