BOTH South Launceston and Scottsdale coaches say they have “nothing to lose” on Sunday.
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The two outfits will play-off in the first semi-final at Youngtown Oval with the winner set to progress through to the preliminary final stage.
The loser will kiss their season goodbye.
The Dogs are licking their wounds after a 56-point loss to Bracknell, while Scottsdale were 46 points too good for Bridgenorth.
“I reckon we’ve got a bit more height than South so we might be able to exploit them in that area,” Scottsdale coach Geoff Mohr said.
“We have got a bit more youth, but they have the experience. This is the first time we have played finals since 2010.” The Magpies trumped South by eight points at Youngtown, while the Dogs got the job done by 15 points on the return leg.
Bulldogs coach Leigh Harding said captain Shane Wager’s season has been ended by a knee injury and that Cody Linger would also miss – adding to their already extensive casualty list.
“We’re out to right a few wrongs,” Harding said.
“Doing the basics well is what finals football is about, doing everything well under pressure.
“We have learnt not to take things for granted and we will have to play with some desperation.”
ROCHERLEA coach Lyndon Stubbs said his charges are fresh and ready following a two-week hiatus.
The minor premiers spent their first week off recovering from the roster season and week two fine tuning their game for a flag tilt, starting on Saturday in a second semi-final bout against Bracknell at Windsor Park.
“The vibe is extremely positive around the group, they are ready and it has been a little difficult to hold them back – they are like a pack of hunting dogs,” Stubbs said.
“We come up against Bracknell in their best form based on last week. The game will be won at the contest.”
Stubbs said Luke Richards, Ben Elmer and Kaiden Cox-Goodyer are all available for selection with several tough calls to be made.
The Tigers have outscored the Redlegs by 103 points in their previous two encounters this season with Bracknell only managing to pile on 56 and 59 respectively.
Competition-leading goalkicker Josh Holton has been a dominate force for Rocherlea in previous matches, picking up a six-goal bag in round 16.
Bracknell coach Gary Shipton said the Tigers defensive unit was strong and that his men would need to stifle their run off half-back.
“There is a lot of belief in the group but we will go in as underdogs,” he said.
Jesse Tunks remains in doubt after being stretchered off in last week’s qualifying final win over South.