Tudor Wests made amends for blowing their chance to guarantee themselves a grand final spot with a one goal win over South United in an absorbing and tight preliminary on Sunday.
Turning around a one goal final round loss to Souths, which cost them the minor premiership, Tudors prevailed 3-2 to set up a showdown with Workies for the silverware.
Souths had a chance in the final minute to send the game into extra-time but Tudors keeper Sam Holt made a strong save on the corner shot to diffuse the danger.
Tudors captain Brett Lobsey said they changed a few things around from the previous week, where Souths “carved them up up front”.
“We just had to work really hard in defence to stop them entering the circle,” he said.
He thought they did that pretty well, and when they did get the ball in the circle they scrambled well to prevent them getting an easy shot.
Sam Lobsey was a rock in defence at the back, making some telling one-on-one tackles to force turnovers and even pulling off a save on the line that, Brett said, he “somehow got his stick to”.
He was their man of the match.
Noah Pitt also had a “blinder” up front, Lobsey said.
He said Souths are a good team and credited their commitment to the team as what got them over the line.
“Everyone wanted to get out and have a great game,” he said.
It was an end-to-end game, and there was never more than a goal in it.
Sam Lobsey put them up 2-1 with just under 20 minutes to go in the second half with a rocket off a penalty corner. Souths hit back four minutes later to level the scores, Nick O’Connor getting the touch on the left post.
Adam McMahon put Tudors ahead again with nine to play with a deft deflection off a corner hit.
All three of their goals came off corners, Jono Chamberlain scoring their first.
“It was pleasing to actually get them (corners) and we put them in,” Lobsey said.
It’s been four or five years since Tudors last played in the grand final.
The Lobsey boys will prelude Sunday’s decider by turning out for Tudors Gold against Kiwis in the masters grand final on Wednesday night.
TUDOR WESTS 3 (Sam Lobsey, Jono Chamberlain, Adam McMahon gls) d SOUTH UNITED 2 (Harper Galvin, Nick O’Connor gls).
