PERFECTION, or as near as humanly possible, is what it will take to make the O&K senior football grand final when Bright and Bonnie Doon take to the field in their preliminary final tomorrow.
There’s no margin for error, as these two powerhouse football sides battle it out for the last remaining spot in next week’s decider.
The Bombers fell to Greta in their qualifying final clash last week, but will head into the match confident their skills and game plan can outperform the Mountain Men.
For their part, Bright have been impressive in the finals series, knocking over King Valley and Goorambat on the road to the prelim.
Bright coach Paul Harrison said the finals had been challenging, but spirits were high ahead of the crucial match.
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“The mood’s very positive, everyone’s pretty upbeat and looking forward to this weekend,” he said.
“We’ve had a big emphasis on really enjoying the last month of footy, the finals are the most exciting time of the year.
“We don’t want to let it stress us too much, just embrace it and enjoy it.”
Due to the home and away fixture, Bright and Bonnie Doon have only played each other once this season.
Their round 12 match back in late June fell the way of the Bombers by a slim margin, 9.8 (50) to 4.12 (36).
Harrison said Bonnie Doon’s midfield unit would have to be looked at if Bright wanted the win.
“For us, we just want to even out at stoppage clearance work, and our drive around the ground will give us plenty of opportunities to score,” he said.
“I just think if we can keep a couple of their really key players quieter, if we can even out the midfield it gives us a really good chance to win the game.
“We understand that at times they’re going to impact the game – they’re good players, they’re going to do that – but if we can nullify their impact, I think then overall what’s going to get us over the line is our bottom four or five players.”
No matter who ends up prevailing, Saturday’s senior preliminary final is sure to be a spectacle of high-quality football.
“We obviously rate them very highly, I’ve got a lot of respect for them and Greta,” Harrison said.
“We’ve sort of been at each other’s throats, the three of us, for the last few years on the field.
“Yes, they lost on the weekend, but they’re a quality team, it’s going to be a very hard game.”
Bright takes on Bonnie Doon at North Wangaratta Recreation Reserve from 2pm on Saturday, with the winner to progress to the grand final.
The Mountain Men will also feature in the earlier reserves preliminary final, with Bright up against a strong Milawa Demons outfit from 12pm.
