The lone LBU football side to reach the preliminary final, the club’s grand final dreams rested on the young Cats’ shoulders when they travelled to Elmore Recreation Reserve.
While the result didn’t go its way, LBU made a good account of itself to start the game, matching pace with the Demons with a behind giving White Hills the edge.
The game remained tight in the lead up to half-time with both sides adding another goal to the tally, but the Demons created a four-point buffer with some extra chances sliding through for behinds.
While the Cats kept on the steady path with another goal in the third term, White Hills unleashed the force of its will, banging on six majors to burst out to a 37-point advantage with a quarter to play.
While LBU put on its best attacking performance for the match down the stretch with a tidy 4.4, the Demons’ 3.4 was enough to not only keep its wide margin from the third quarter, but coast to an 11.14 (80) to 7.7 (49) victory.
The 31-point defeat has left LBU without a football side in the grand final, which will have White Hills face North Bendigo in the grand final at Strauch Reserve on Saturday, September 13.
In the Heathcote District Netball League, LBU has two junior netball sides locked in to grand finals after winning their respective semi-finals.
The 13-and-under unit will come up against Colbinabbin in the grand final after the Grasshoppers escaped with a tight 22-18 win over Elmore in the preliminary final.
Meanwhile, the 15-and-under Cats’ dance partner in the grand final has been decided, as White Hills made the great escape against Huntly in a 49-48 preliminary final thriller.
Seniors
With Mt Pleasant already locked in to feature in the senior football grand final, Colbinabbin and table-topper North Bendigo slugged it out in the preliminary final.
While the Grasshoppers would’ve been foaming at the mouth for a chance to come up against their arch-rival in the grand final, it wasn’t to be as the Bulldogs led at every turn.
North Bendigo slotted eight goals in the first quarter to bust out to a big early lead, with Colbo remaining in the hunt with four of its own.
The Grasshoppers doubled their score in the second period, while the Bulldogs were more subdued, but still managed five goals to lead by 34 at half-time.
Colbo could only find two majors in the third period as North Bendigo put on another goal-kicking spectacle, sending seven goals through the middle.
Both sides settled for three maximums down the stretch, with the Bulldogs’ efforts through the first three quarters enough to launch them into the grand final with a 23.10 (148) to 13.14 (98) triumph.
The big dance between Mt Pleasant and North Bendigo will be one for the ages at Strauch Reserve, with first bounce scheduled for 2.20pm.
A-grade
Mt Pleasant has engineered a grand final match-up against storied rival Colbinabbin after sneaking past White Hills in the A-grade preliminary final.
It was a see-sawing contest throughout, with the Mounts holding a two-goal lead at the first turn.
With both sides putting up good numbers in the first half, a strong effort in the goal circle meant the Demons took the two-goal lead heading into the major break.
With White Hills (5) faltering in the third term, Mt Pleasant pounced, putting 18 through the net to blow the game out.
Trailing by 11 at the start of the final frame, the Demons (12) did their best to wrestle it back, but it was too late as the Mounts (6) did enough to keep the grand final out of reach, walking away with a 45-40 win.
Colbo will be the heavy favourite heading into the grand final, having yet to lose a game, with the big dance slated for a 2.30pm centre pass.
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