Semi Final 2024 | Reserves vs Brunswick

With the 2024 regular season done and dusted, attention and excitement turned to the finals series. MHSOBFC, having put together an incredible body of work, were rewarded with a second placed finish, pitting them against the imperious Brunswick, whose dominance had resulted in them qualifying for the finals atop the ladder. The two teams met at the windswept neutral venue of La Trobe Oval in Bundoora, so warmups were completed with intensity and last words of advice metered out before play began.

The last two meetings went the way of Brunswick, including a one-sided affair just a fortnight prior, so the Unicorns were compelled to act fast. Given the favourable end by the gusts buffeting the oval, the first goal was quickly tallied, as Byron Gunn was the beneficiary of a 50-metre penalty to bundle the ball through. Sensing the occasion, Petro Pirozek was busy early, and his squaring kick was met by Dinuk Epa, who slotted a banana from close range to the joy of the supporting peanut gallery. Despite the conditions befalling them, Brunswick were a constant threat, with precise movement and efficiency giving them their shares of goalscoring opportunities, also tallying two majors. When the ball wasn’t in the air, it remained in the heat of the contest with Will Suhr ever-present, launching himself into the ruck, his intent similarly mirrored by his midfield unit. The quarter ended with a slight advantage to the Unicorns, leading 2.3-15 to Brunswick’s 2.0-12.

The conditions and the quality of the minor premiers dictated the majority of play in the second term, as Brunswick effectively held the play at their end of the ground. Despite sustained pressure, there were outstanding efforts from the middle and back six, most notably Alistair Rogers and Anthony Horton who continually got the better of their opponents. The Unicorns picked up a solitary goal against the play, but Brunswick took the share of the reward from a close-fought first half, leading 5.5-35 to 3.4-22.

Zac Comley-Burns assesses the options ahead of him. Image courtesy of Jim Wilson.

The third term provided the Unicorns with the opportunity to fight back on the scoreboard, as they utilised the wind to establish strong field position. Petro Pirozek was everywhere, and picked up two goals on his own to erase the lead, but some missed chances prevented the Unicorns capitalising on their ascendancy, as Brunswick battled hard with the opportunity of the final quarter at the forefront of their minds. Robert Rae was seemingly in perpetual motion on the wing, in concert with Luke Stone through the middle, and though the Unicorns most certainly won the term, the game was still very much up to grabs, as MHSOB clung to a one-point advantage, 5.7-37 to 5.6-36.

The final term was up for the taking, and for the first half of the period, a winner was not evident, Brunswick rebounding into their 50 as the Unicorns dug in. Sadly for the traveling fans, a few moments of quality from the home side saw them kick away, and their ability to contain the field of play limited their counterparts to only two minor scores. Dealt a 18-point defeat, the Unicorns can hold their heads high, having cleared the margin of loss by some 80 points from only a fortnight ago, and emboldened by the fact that if they meet again in two week’s time (a qualifying final against last week’s opponents St Marys Salesian being the ticket), they are right in the fight.

Final score: MHSOBFC 5.8-39 defeated by Brunswick 8.9-57

Best Players: Alistair Rogers, Petro Pirozek, Will Suhr, Byron Gunn, Robert Rae, Luke Stone

Goals: Byron Gunn 2, Petro Pirozek 2, Dinuk Epa