Can Parkside get that monkey off its back once and for all?
The Magpies will make the familiar trek to the Western Region Football League division 2 grand final for the fourth time in five seasons.
Each of their past three trips to Chirnside Park has ended in tears.
PICTURE GALLERY: Parkside v Manor Lakes
Magpies player-coach Nathan Juegan conceded his players will go into the season decider against Glenorden on Sunday as the underdogs, but remains optimistic in the face of history and a formidable Hawks outfit.
“Grand finals, they’re a strange thing,” he said. “Glenorden
deserve to be there – they’re definitely the best side in the
competition.
“We think this game is alive and we’ll be giving it a shake.
“If we give 100 per cent commitment and intensity and catch them on a bad day, who knows what might happen?”
Parkside managed to shake off Manor Lakes for the first time in a nine-point preliminary-final win at Crofts Reserve on Sunday.
The Magpies had met the new kids on the block on two occasions prior for shock losses.
Despite leading by three goals at the last change, the Magpies went into the final quarter kicking against a five-goal breeze.
But the challenge brought the best out of the Magpies defensively.
“I’ve been at Parkside for 10 years and the courage the boys
showed in the last quarter was as good as I’ve ever seen,” Juegan said.
“It was a pretty emotional win because our backs were up against
it at three-quarter time. Most people at the ground probably thought we
would’ve ran out of legs … to be three goals up at three-quarter time,
we didn’t put ourselves in the best position.
“I had to call for the players to really respond at three-quarter
time … we defended so well in the last quarter to keep them to one goal,
which really won us the game.”
Alex Lockhart was the most influential player on the ground.
The Magpies “rolled the dice” by entering the game with one
ruckman, with Lockhart answering his coach’s call for a tireless
120-minute performance.
“He’s got enormous heart, that bloke,” Juegan said.
“To ruck all day and still be getting back, filling the holes and
taking marks in the last quarter – he led the way and dragged everyone
along with him.”
Paul Harris and Joseph Jamieson made some telling interceptions
across half back, Jack Fowler did a lot of the run and carry, and Nick
Grant was superb in close.
The no-frills Magpies will treat grand-final week like any other
and hope they can finally come out on the right side of the scoreboard
after grand-final defeats in 2009, ’10 and ’12.
“We’re not going to do anything different, we’re not going to
change up training, we’re not going to go out for team dinners and have a
big build up because I don’t think there’s any need for that,” Juegan
said.
“We’ll do the normal weekly thing – train Tuesday and train Thursday and rock up on Sunday and just give it a crack.”
