Torquay Kick Seven Goals In The Final Term To Defeat A Gallant Drysdale In The BFL Grand Final By 32 Points
Torquay kicked seven goals in the final term to abruptly sprint away with an in-dispute BFL grand final, unleashing twelve months of frustration in one magnificent final quarter.
Torquay won the BFL Premiership by 32 points over a valiant Drysdale thanks to a seven-goal final quarter.
In front of a huge and rowdy audience, the Grinter Reserve decider was exquisitely poised going into the last interval, with the Hawks having the slimmest of leads.
After a tight first half, the Tigers prevailed by a score of 16.14 (110 points) to 12.6 (78), thanks in large part to the efforts of best on ground forward Nathan Mifsud and key forward Lucas Anderson, who both finished with six goals.
For the Tigers, it would help ease the sorrow of last year's devastating 55-point grand final loss to Barwon Heads.
It was a real BFL classic for the first three quarters, but the Hawks may have stayed in it thanks to Torquay's inaccurate kicking at one end of the field (the Tigers kicked 3.8 goals to the Hawks' 13.6).
But in the deciding fourth quarter, former GFL star Baxter Mensch was massive with double-digit touches, supported by Sheldon Ham, and with the cream delivered by Mifsud and Anderson in spectacular fashion.
Anderson let out a year's worth of pent-up anger when he kicked a late goal of the day candidate with a brilliant checkside and then grabbed a monster pack mark after a shanked inside 50 entry.
For the losing side, regulars Ben Fennell (three goals), Tom Ruggles (two goals), and Flinn Chisholm were instrumental in creating scoring opportunities for the Hawks, but Jake Hargreaves made the most of his to score four.
An umpire was replaced in the first quarter after taking a head knock; Michael Case was also flattened early but returned; then, with the Tigers up by 19 points, play was stopped after Drysdale defender Luke Preece was crushed.
After the game, an ecstatic Tigers coach named Dom Gleeson claimed that "proud" was the finest word he could use to describe how he felt.
A lot weaker squads wouldn't have gotten back to this position the way you guys dug in," Gleeson told his players in the post-game address.
And now we've taken the next logical step.
"You guys deserve this, as do our entire roster, our entire club, and our entire community.
In addition, he praised Drysdale, saying that the Hawks' performance was a testament to head coach Ben Carmichael.
Twelve months ago I was in your place; it's a deep pit you'll have to crawl out of.
But if any team has a chance, it's Drysdale.
"You guys have my utmost respect, and I hope your comeback is a smashing success."
Coach Ben Carmichael of the Hawks expressed appreciation to the team's "overwhelming" 2023 fanbase.
"You guys have been finding a way all year, and I couldn't be more proud of you," Carmichael said.
To my fellow students, I say, "We're a young group, hopefully we get another opportunity, I love you all."
The Tigers had a first quarter full of missed opportunities; they had no trouble identifying a marking target but only managed 1.5 points in kicks.
Torquay had trouble connecting on the forward line, and a shot by Ben Raidme slid off the side of the boot and out of play.
Many of the Tigers' advances were initiated by Mensch's deft handball, while Hargreaves sprang up at the other end to provide a brace.
It was a back-and-forth contest, with both teams holding the upper hand at various points.
Brilliant bananas from James Breust and Fennell from each pocket highlighted the final minutes of the first half, and a late major to Misfud gave the Tigers a three-point lead at the break.
Misfud was also fantastic at setting up plays; for example, Anderson's easiest six-pointer of the game was made possible by an over-the-shoulder handball from Misfud.
After singles by Hargreaves, Bailey Sykes, and Ruggles, Drysdale regained the lead in the third, but Misfud surfaced late in the inning as a harbinger of the oncoming onslaught.