GNFL preliminary final preview: Trip to grand final on the line in clash between Northampton and Brigades

Northampton and Brigades will go head-to-head in Saturday’s preliminary final for a spot in the decider as the Rams eye back-to-back flags. For Hawks coach Cory Foot, there isn’t expectations set on the team with his side taking it one game at a time. “We haven’t set what the goal is this year, we take each quarter by quarter and make sure that we’re improving each time we run out,” he said. “Whether it be at quarter time, half-time, three-quarter time – I thought the group had some faults in the first half last week. “To respond the way we did and improve the way we did just goes to show that we’re bringing the right attitude, and we’re all working hard for each other.” While for Grady Tomelty’s side, the Rams are looking to defend their title and they are putting everything on the line in the matchup. “It’s do-or-die, so we played a bit safe with a few of those guys from the weekend, knowing that whatever happened we’ll play again, so even if they’re not 100 per cent, they’ll still be playing,” he said. Northampton went down in the qualifier while missing some key pieces from their side – including captain Braden Jupp. Having the second chance provides the luxury of letting players take the week off if needed, knowing they will play again. “We had a few guys missing a few late outs on Friday night and Saturday morning, trying to get those roles to the players that came in and just weren’t quite ready for Chapman Valley who played brilliantly,” Tomelty said. It will be the fourth matchup between Brigades and Northampton this season, with the Rams having the edge winning two of the three matchups. Both coaches know what to look out for heading into the clash. “A young team, plenty of speed, but they you’ve got the big guys in (Hayden) Johnson and the older heads down in the backline,” Tomelty said. “So, we know that Brigades are going to be quick, so we’re going to have to find some matchups to nullify their speed.” “We’re coming up against the reigning premiers, they’ve got a lot of strong players throughout all lines and they do run deep,” Foot said. “They do have Flynn Dillon, they’ve got Dyl Ralph, Trent Simpson…we’re just going to play our game and assess each quarter as it comes.” The Hawks used their speed and young players to run over Railways in the fourth quarter of the elimination match, with the side fielding a lot of young players. Foot said that the senior players have backed in the colts to take the game on. “There’s a lot of older senior heads…six in that (leadership) group, and they’re the ones that are giving the license to the younger ones to play their natural game – do whatever they have to do and however they feel fit for that,” he said. “The reasons that the young ones are flourishing is because there’s lines of senior guys throughout every single part of the field that are really protecting, inspiring and helping young ones, and they’re just growing. “Some of those players did, when you’re talking about Reid (Foot), Riaz (Mohammad) and Lucas (Ronan). “Some of the most experienced and level-headed blokes around them are giving them a license to try things, like take the game on, run and take a bounce, go for that longer kick – which is a rare thing to have.” For the Rams, stopping the quick play from Brigades will be key. “We’ll have a look at our matchups and we don’t want to go away from our brand, but at the same time we know how well structured and drilled Cory’s got Brigades, so you want to find that happy medium,” Tomelty said. The clash between Northampton and Brigades takes place on Saturday at Red Dust Holdings Recreation Ground with bounce down at 2.40pm.