The Courier's David Brehaut previews a massive Central Highlands Football League grand final between Daylesford and Bungaree.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00Welcome to our grand final edition of the Central Highlands Football League's Friday Footy Frenzy.
00:05I'm David Brio and this edition is brought to you by Sheds and Shades by Design.
00:12Well, here we are. A long pre-season, a long home and away season, an intriguing final series,
00:19and it all comes down to Saturday afternoon at Mars Stadium, where Bungaree, the minor Premier,
00:24will take on Dalesford. It's an intriguing match-up. Bungaree, well, they've been one
00:30of the competition pacemakers all season, coming off a preliminary final last year,
00:36and when they only just missed out against eventual Premier Gordon. For Dalesford, well,
00:43what a year it's been. They've been the story of the Central Highlands Football League season,
00:47coming from way back with only two wins last season. They brought in, well, I think it's
00:53more than almost probably about a dozen players in the end. A lot of experience, a lot of success,
00:59and it's paid dividends in a bigger way than I think they even imagined.
01:04They play in their first grand final since 2012. That was their last Premiership year.
01:10And for Bungaree, well, they're in their first grand final since 2014, and that was also a
01:16Premiership year. So both these sides, their fans, the whole communities will be keen to take
01:23this opportunity. How do I see it? Well, I think Bungaree has to have the edge. They're the team
01:29that's had the formal season. They haven't been that far in front of Dalesford, but when these
01:34two teams met, and it was on a wet day, and who knows what the conditions will be on Saturday,
01:40because we've had wind right through the final series. I think we'll get a little bit of wind
01:45again. There's hardly a day at Mars Stadium where you don't get windy conditions.
01:49Rain, well, there's a forecast of a 40% chance of rain and cool conditions. So the colder and
01:55the wetter it is, that suits Dalesford down to a T. Bungaree, well, they can adjust. They can play
02:02in any conditions, but the better the conditions, the more likely it is that Bungaree will have the
02:07edge and pace and the ability to open up the game on the big open spaces of Mars Stadium.
02:14The main thing I'm hoping for is a really good contest. The last two grand finals,
02:18well, they've just been blowouts. And what we want is a good competitive match,
02:22going hopefully down to the wire, or at least in the last quarter, it's up for grabs. That's
02:28what we want. That's what the fans will want. And hopefully we get that. So my selection,
02:34well, I'm going for Bungaree, but let me put a caveat on that. My selections during the final
02:40series, they've been shocking. I've missed the boat almost in every game, and that's how
02:45unpredictable some of the games have been. Will this be unpredictable? Will it be Dalesford that
02:50can do what at the start of the year was unthinkable? Or is it Bungaree, who have just
02:57found that little bit extra on last year, also on the back of a very strong recruiting campaign?
03:02I think it will be the Demons, Ryan Waite, and they'll be the ones that'll be celebrating at
03:08the end of the day. Now, if you can't be there, and hopefully you can, because it's a tremendous
03:13day, a lot of netball, a lot of football. Today, not to be missed, it's obviously the day everyone
03:20in the Central Highlands Football League's been waiting for. But if you can't be there, sit back
03:24and watch our live telecast of the action via our website. So the last word for the 2024 season in
03:34the Central Highlands Football League from me is a Bungaree premiership, but look out. Dalesford,
03:40they haven't had opportunities lately as well, and they'll be keen.
03:43Look forward to seeing the game, and we'll catch you there.