Old Trinity vs Old Xaverians: It’s time

By Nick Armistead – @NickArmistead

One of the most intriguing and unpredictable seasons in recent memory will end this Sunday when Old Trinity clash with Old Xaverians in the William Buck Premier decider at Ikon Park.

The T’s – refreshed, moderately healthy and eager to attain their first-ever flag in the VAFA’s top tier – are coming off the week’s break after they dismantled University Blues in the space of 30 minutes in the second semi-final two weeks ago. Having felt the heartbreak of missed opportunity in last year’s grand final against St Bernard’s, the T’s will look to use lessons learnt to bring the L.A. Adamson Cup to Daley Oval.

It wasn’t quite as simple for Xavs as they had to battle two elimination finals for their opportunity at 2016 success. Falling outside the top two in Round 18 of the home and away fixture, Xavs came from as much as four goals down at the 16-minute mark of the third quarter to power over University Blacks and earn a spot in the preliminary final against the Blues. A highly-successful history at Sportscover Arena, a Tyson Thomas masterclass through the centre and another six goals to Brendan Goss gave Xavs the ascendancy when it mattered most. Despite kicking the first three goals of the fourth, the Blues were unable to reign the 35-point margin in and finally fell short by 23 points for their second consecutive preliminary final loss.

Tom Quinn was at his goal kicking best with five for the Blues, while Jack Townley, Marshall Rippon and Connor Lappin did their utmost to will their side over the line. The Blues were outstanding in 2016, with their defensive structures and nous the envy of the competition.

And now, it’s time.

This is the moment William Buck Premier fans have been waiting for. Live from Ikon Park in Carlton, the undisputed minor premiers from Daley Oval will face the power and experience of the red and black in a blockbuster encounter this Sunday.

The fast-paced, electrifying run and carry of Old Trinity will meet the contested, controlled disposal of Old Xaverians.

In their two home and away meetings this season, neither side has been able to use the home court advantage as Xavs accounted for the T’s by 14 points at the Daley in Round 8 but went down by 11 at the Toorak Park re-match.

Danger Forwards: Seb Nicolosi (19), Ed Weatherson (19) and Alex Polidoros (25) vs Matt Handley (55) and Brendan Goss (59).

The three mid-sized forward structure will line-up against the twin pillars and this bodes as the most exciting aspect of the match. The T’s are dangerous when moving forward due to their plethora of goal-kicking options and the ability of Nicolosi, Weatherson and Polidoros to work in conjunction with one another with specifically angled leads is first-class. The talented trio have combined for 32% of the T’s scoring in 2016, but with bags of five and four to their names they proved they can take games over in the space of a quarter. Nicolosi showcased his ability to fire with three goals in six minutes against Xavs in Round 18, while Polidoros set up the T’s in their Round 4 win over De La Salle with five in a blistering first half. Weatherson has been a picture of consistency with goals in all but three matches this year.

Handley and Goss have been undeniable standouts of Xavs’ forward 50, with 44% of total goals coming from their boots. Handley won his second consecutive goal-kicking award with 51, while Goss has been the form player of the finals series on his way to 12 goals from two games. What is even more impressive is the sheer number of times Goss has hit the scoreboard. In his match-winning performance against the Blues, the maestro sent through eight behinds on top of his six goals and if he can break loose of Luke Pacconi’s defensive nous, he may prove the difference yet again.

Set-Up Men: Luke Pacconi vs Dan Noonan.

While Harry Tinney, Andrew Kyriacopoulos and Jack Hunt could take the mantle as the T’s set-up men, it is the role Pacconi plays on Goss which will go a long way to determining the outcome of the match. As it stands, Pacconi’s physicality matches up better than anyone on Goss, with the Xav forward managing just three goals against the hard-nosed defender in their two battles this year. One was named in the back pocket for the Team of the Year and the other in the forward pocket. Almost too exciting.

Dan Noonan is all class across half back and plays an important role setting up forward thrusts. His influence is at its peak when he clunks intercept mark after intercept mark as he reads the play better than any other player. His importance was on show against the Blacks in the first semi-final where he continually stopped the Blacks inside 50 attempts on numerous occasions.

The Elite: Brendan Iezzi vs Tyson Thomas.

Iezzi’s absence during last year’s grand final may have been the difference between winning and losing but we will never know. What we do know is the two-time Woodrow Medallist will be carving his way through the T’s midfield with superiority at stoppages allowing him to rack up clearances and finish off with devastating disposal into the forward 50. Not to mention, the skipper doubles as the spiritual leader and will carry his side if need be.

John Shaw and Ben Kennedy will play important roles for Xavs in their biggest match of the year but due to his recent form Thomas stands as the line breaker through the midfield. Similar to Iezzi, Thomas does a power of grunt work in the clutches and sends it forward for Xavs’ forwards to lap up, and his influence will be a key factor to their success.

The X-Factors: Luther Juric vs Tomi Johnston.

Juric’s athleticism makes him the perfect x-factor for the T’s as he has capacity to do the freakish things such as his basketball-esque rejection on the last line of defence against Xavs in Round 18. He kicks goals in quick succession and can play a variety of roles, pinning him as one of the T’s likely match-winners.

Johnston’s disposal by foot is deadly and it’s safe to say he gets enough of it to genuinely impact the outcome of matches. On a number of times this season, Johnston has exceeded 40 disposals and his ability to light it up through the middle runs along the same veins as Juric.

Prediction

Premier: Old Trinity

Margin: 12 points

Jock Nelson Medallist: Ed Weatherson