Semi Final 2023 | Reserves vs Brunswick
After a long, gruelling season, the Reserves had weathered a slow start (1-3) to win 12 of the remaining 14 games, including a win against every team in the league, to finish the regular season in third place, pipping Brunswick in the final round after beating them on their home deck.
It was, again, the reigning premiers Brunswick facing them in the minor semi-final, hungry to fight for their chance to go back-to-back. On the other side, MHSOB looked to confirm a clean sweep for the season against their opponents and force a preliminary final match up against South Melbourne. On a gloriously sunny afternoon, the crowd of Bill Lawry Oval (with a phenomenal turn out of MHSOB supporters) was treated to a high quality, impassioned affair between two rivals giving it their all.
The intensity of the game was ever prevalent throughout the first term in the middle, with both teams fighting to get first use of the ball. Midfielder Tom Golz was, simply put, phenomenal, utilising his strength and smarts to assert himself, and fellow returning Unicorn Will Kruyt was superb in the ruck and around the ground. The work of the middle and the resiliency of the back six, repelling the efforts of their opposition, provided ample opportunity for the Unicorns’ forward unit to get to work. James ‘Stretch’ Cusack continued his lethal form, kicking two in the first term, and Abishaan Dushyanthan embraced his moment too, converting in replacement for Chris Tetaz, whose day ended early after aggravating his knee. The lead could’ve been greater at quarter time, but some underwhelming set shots left the Unicorns 13 points to the good, 3.4-22 to 1.3-9.
Brunswick were unperturbed by the scoreline and came out with the effort and intensity you’d expect from such quality opponent. But the Unicorns were able to weather this storm and remained steadfast throughout seesawing momentum swings. Taylor Raymond, seemingly unbothered by his opposing number, and his fellow defenders worked incredibly hard to minimise their impact on the play and were outstanding throughout the term. At the other end, the forward line pushed out almost a mirror image of their output, kicking 3.5-23. Byron Gunn popped up, pushing through some misses to kick his first major, and Stretch just kept going, with three for the half. Going into half time, MHSOB led the game 6.9-45 to 3.3-21.
A fantastic half, but there was no thought of slowing down, as Brunswick were far too good of a team to take a loss without a fight. Coach Matt Brancatisano urged his troops to remain red hot, keeping the temperature squarely on their opponents, and directing them to stick to the plan, knowing that their best, is better.
Brunswick came out of the blocks with hunger, but two quick goals to the Unicorns put the first seed of doubt in their minds. Zac Comley-Burns went from villain to hero in a heartbeat, taking a strong contested grab and converting, after having his previous set shot blocked on the mark, a great example of resilience and repeat efforts. Evan Riddle and Rob Rae were ball magnets on the wing all day, using the great width of the field, seemingly in perpetual motion from one end to the other, with the latter picking up a goal as well. A breathless third quarter came to a stop, and MHSOB had their future squarely in their hands, leading 9.12-66 to 5.4-34.
Dinuk Epa and Byron Gunn celebrate a goal in front of Unicorns fans. Image courtesy of Jim Wilson.
The final term blew the floodgates open, as tired legs brought more free flowing attack for both sides. Brunswick stuck around for the first half of the term, kicking some clutch goals and keeping their slim chances alive, but their defence couldn’t keep up, as the Unicorns kicked six of their own for the term, including a brace for Will Kruyt, and a smart finish from Dinuk ‘Juice’ Epa that brought the travelling crowd to their feet.
A contest throughout, MHSOB weathered the storm again and again, and came out victorious winning 15.13-103 to 9.8-62. On their journey to the top of the mountain, the Unicorns face South Melbourne in the preliminary final next Sunday at 3.30pm at Trevor Barker Oval.
Final Score: MHSOB: 15.13-103 defeated Brunswick: 9.8-62
Goal Kickers: J. Cusack 5, B. Gunn 2, D. Epa 2, W. Kruyt 2, Z. Comley-Burns, A. Dushyanthan, R. Rae, M. Fennessy-Kent
Best Players: T. Golz, J. Cusack, W. Kruyt, M. Fennessy-Kent, E. Riddle, T. Raymond