Reeva’s Match Wrap | Preliminary Final

What isn’t easy to do as a coach is to not look at the game through a coaching eye first, and to not feel some frustration about how the game played out and what we could do better — instead of just being really excited about the result and not too concerned with that part. I generally live in the first part but over the last 24 hours it’s been all about absolute pride in what our group did and how they stayed the course and ground out a win and find themselves in a third Grand Final in a row. Amazing effort by all of our group, resilience and a will to win from any position.

Having watched the game back and combined my thoughts with my initial feelings, it wasn’t our best performance by a long shot, but we are in a Preliminary Final that has two desperate teams willing to do whatever it takes. Norwood to their credit were outstanding in effort and intent from start to finish. I feel like our group has played a little bit over the past 2 games with some anxiety and not wanting to stuff it up over playing on instinct and trust in what we do. My feeling after the game and again today, checking in with a lot of our group, is that that weight has been lifted a little and there is excitement, enthusiasm, and lots of energy for the week ahead and the opportunity that awaits us on Sunday. We will freshen up over the next few days prepare well and head to Adelaide oval with the intent to play our best possible football that we know has us right in the contest from start to finish. Where else would you want to be!

There are always hard luck stories at this time of year and when that happens to be one of our club’s champions that is hard to take. Max Proud suffered a significant injury with broken ribs and a punctured lung in a collision at the start of the fourth quarter. Doing what he has always done, putting his body and own well-being on the line for his team and Club. Our lasting memory will always be about how he went about every moment. We will have 22 players in both grades that play in the Max Proud mould on Sunday that is one thing for certain.

With both our Reserves and League teams playing on Grand Final day again after doing the same in 2023, I couldn’t be prouder of all of our Football staff, support & medical staff, and our entire playing group that continue to amaze me with how they attack every day. We can’t wait to get on Sunday and leave it all out on the field. We play against a formidable opponent in Sturt Football Club in both grades. We have huge respect for them as a Club and the season they have had, but we also know its Grand Final Day and anything before this is irrelevant. Getting your best effort out on the day can lead to anything.

As always, our support on Sunday was huge the noise and energy was fantastic, we look forward to seeing the Bay Army come from far and wide on Sunday and fill the ground, it will go a long way to helping both of our teams get across the line. It promises to be an epic day.

Go the Bay’s

Best Players Prelim: 1. J Scharenberg 2. A Martini 3. C Lyons 4. L McBean 5. C Gerloff6. L Partington

Darren Reeves

Senior Coach