Violet Town’s remarkable B grade finals campaign came to an end on Saturday, going down to minor premier Nagambie by seven goals in a hard-fought preliminary final at Undera Recreation Reserve.
Few would have predicted the Towners would be playing for a place in the grand final after they scraped into the finals in sixth position, but victories over third-placed Lancaster and fourth-placed Shepparton East earned Violet Town a well-deserved shot at the competition’s top side.
Nagambie had won both encounters between the teams during the home-and-away season, but there had been little separating them, with margins of just two and nine goals in the respective clashes.
The Lakers came out strongly on Saturday, while Violet Town struggled to get the game flowing their way in the opening quarter. Nagambie capitalised, taking a 12-4 lead into the first break.
But the Towners quickly composed themselves and showed exactly why they had earned their place in the preliminary final.
From the second quarter onwards, the contest was incredibly even, with the two sides going almost goal-for-goal. Violet Town refused to let Nagambie break the game open and continued to challenge the minor premier right through to the final whistle.
Unfortunately for the Towners, not much seemed to fall their way across the remaining three quarters. Despite continuing to fight for every possession and creating opportunities to close the gap, they were unable to completely overcome Nagambie’s early advantage, eventually going down by seven goals.
Violet Town’s shooters worked tirelessly against a very physical Nagambie defensive line-up, while the Towners’ midcourt remained calm and composed under pressure, making smart decisions and continuing to work the ball patiently into attack.
At the other end, Violet Town’s defensive unit never stopped working, applying pressure and contesting every ball throughout the four quarters.
While the result brings their season to an end, there was plenty for the Towners to be proud of.
From sixth place to a preliminary final, Violet Town proved they could match it with the competition’s best.
After knocking off two higher-ranked opponents and then pushing the minor premier all the way, they certainly didn’t disappoint when their opportunity came, rounding out what was an outstanding season and finals campaign from the B Grade Towners.
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