Smashing: Shepparton Park’s Denis Smyth played in a thumping rink win as his side kept its season alive.
Photo by
Megan Fisher
Sometimes a rolling juggernaut is precisely that.
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Usual Goulburn Valley Playing Area Allan Matheson Shield fancies Shepparton Golf found that out the hard way Saturday at Tatura Bowls Club, running into the buzzsaw that has been Tallygaroopna for the past three months.
The major semi-final was difficult to call on paper for good reason, with two of the day's four rinks decided by a single shot Golf's way.
The quartets skipped by Guy Madigan and Mark Ryan would take command from there, bringing Tallygaroopna home to clinch an automatic grand final berth with a 14-97 to 4-81 win.
This curiously marked the first time in season 2023-24 that Madigan's rink result matched the overall outcome in a game against Golf.
Nonetheless, the victory is one — among 10 straight — worth savouring for David Daws and his Tallygaroopna side.
“We're pretty bloody stoked after yesterday,” Daws said.
“Ryan and Guy's rinks did great jobs getting up the way they did.
“Guy was down 11-0 early on, so he was down in a big way, but how his rink came back was unreal.
“It was a fantastic effort and the boys gave it everything they could.”
Rather than any specific takeaways from Saturday's game, though, Daws has learned more about his side's resilience to build winning positions.
“I'd say the confidence we've spoken about in each other has been reflected in the last 10 weeks,” Daws said.
“What we took out of (Saturday) was how far we've come compared to previous seasons where we're tied at the break and fall away after that.
“The boys really picked up and put on a 10-12 shot buffer in the ‘premiership quarter’, as it were.
“It's a great place to be at the moment.”
Meanwhile, with Golf now made to go the long way around to make another decider, an all-Shepparton preliminary final is set for Saturday.
Plenty to think about: Shepparton Park's Brian Hall.
Photo by
Megan Fisher
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Straight through: Kyabram's Hayden Crilly.
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Megan Fisher
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Down the line: Shepparton Park's Kate Bush.
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Megan Fisher
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A moment to breathe: Kyabram's Greg Shilling.
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Megan Fisher
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Go well: Shepparton Park's Peter Matthews.
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Megan Fisher
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Load it up: Kyabram's Malcolm Williams.
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Megan Fisher
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Away it goes: Kyabram's Brent Reiner.
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Megan Fisher
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Keeping a keen eye: Shepparton Park's Shane Walsh.
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Megan Fisher
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Camaraderie: A light moment between the two sides.
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Megan Fisher
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Envisioning: Kyabram's Noel Reddrop.
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Megan Fisher
This comes after Kyabram, which missed a double chance by the barest of margins after failing to defend second place in the regular season finale, now goes home entirely.
Shepparton Park advanced at the Bombers’ expense, keeping its season alive with a 14-100 to 4-86 win in the minor semi-final.
The result caps a year that could have been so much different for Kyabram, which looked every bit a finals fancy after a round 11 win over Golf.
The result was anchored by a tremendous performance from the Park rink led by Paul Nichols, who engineered a massive 34-13 win to put the side in good stead.
The preliminary final berth rewards Park for effort after holding off Tatura-Hill Top in its quest to maintain fourth spot, going in as underdogs Saturday, but picking up a confidence-boosting result ahead of its meeting with Golf.
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