Roos to carry a wave of momentum into must-win GFL clash against Diorites

Kalgoorlie coach Rick Butterfield has urged his squad to ride the momentum of last weekend’s emphatic Goldfields Football League victory with the same level of confidence and flair in Saturday’s preliminary final against Mines Rovers.

The Roos were irrepressible against Boulder in the first semifinal — underpinned by a 10-goal second half in a 56-point win.

Butterfield said it was the group’s best all-round display of the season — marred only by a wasteful 2.10 to half-time and with a full squad available this weekend.

“At the minute, we’ve got the momentum and hopefully we can carry it on,” Butterfield said.

“I thought that for the entire game (against Boulder) we were on, apart from our goal kicking in the first half.

“I didn’t see too much difference from the first half to the second half, to be honest.

“We’re a fairly young group in quite a few positions who are playing quite fearlessly and with nothing really stopping us at the moment.

“Momentum is a big thing in footy and we have to keep it going.”

Kalgoorlie’s powerful second half last weekend was ignited by teenager Isaac Billing, who was named the GFL’s rookie of the year on Monday night.

In Mines Rovers’ camp, coach Marc Johnstone has promoted Jett Stevens as ruck support for Jake Toa.

The Diorites get another chance after losing the second semifinal last Saturday against Railways by 41 points.

“It was a pretty big mental beating last weekend,” Johnstone said.

“But 17 games in, it was probably our only really bad performance for the year — we haven’t had many games like that, which is a positive.

“We just have to make sure we’re in the hunt at quarter-time and things roll on from there.”

Mines Rovers finished the qualifiers four games and percentage ahead of Kalgoorlie.

However, the clubs are locked at two wins each in four head-to-head clashes this season — the Diorites winning in round three by 10 points and round 18 by 16 points.

Kalgoorlie prevailed in round eight by three points and held on in round 13 by one point.