The youngest pups headed into the finals campaign at Nar Nar Goon against Warragul Industrials with their undefeated 2023 record on the line.
With two close games already, it was expected that the Dusties would come to play in the grand-final qualifying clash.
And close it was to be.
A tough first half saw the Pups ahead at the main break by only six points (all behinds, 24-18), with Yianni Caffieri and Jack Briggs leading the way.
The opposition made the most of their forward forays, but with plenty of strong defence from the Pups keeping the scores close.
The second half saw the game open up, with Cooper Walton transitioning into the forward line causing significant headaches for the Dusties.
Charlie O’Garey continued his outstanding form pushing the ball forward at all costs, whilst Noah Williams was good in the forward line as well. Oliver Duggan and Bail Hennessy also were standouts as the Bulldogs closed out the game with a strong 55-32 result.
With another week off, the boys progressed to the big dance at Koo Wee Rup in a couple of weeks.
Whoever they meet, they can expect to meet some stiff competition and will need to be on their best form.
Scores:
Phillip Island: 1.4.10, 3.6.24, 6.7.43, 8.7.55
Warragul Industrials: 1.0.6, 3.0.18, 4.1.25, 5.2.32
Goals:
Phillip Island: Cooper Walton – 3, Noah Williams – 2, Jack Briggs, Oliver Duggan, Max Taylor - 1
Warragul Industrials: Thomas Cornwall – 4, Noah McDonald - 1
Best Players:
Phillip Island: Charlie O’Garey, Yianni Caffieri, Jack Briggs, Cooper Walton, Oliver Duggan, Bailey Hennessy
Warragul Industrials: Jarrod West, Joshua Bradley, Thomas Cornwall, Noah McDonald, Benjamin Allsop, Thomas Vickery
