Jackas promoted to Premier B
AJAX has secured promotion to Premier B next season, after storming into the 2011 grand final with a thumping 28.16(184) to 10.5(65) demolition of Old Camberwell in last weekend’s preliminary final.
The Jackas now face minor premier Werribee in a dream decider at Trevor Barker Oval in Sandringham on Saturday, in what will be their first grand final since the nightmarish one-point loss to St Bedes/Mentone at the same ground in 2006. Should they win, it will be the club’s first senior flag since 1999, when it won the D-grade competition easily accounting for Bulleen-Templestowe.
AJAX and Werribee have been the best two teams in the competition all season and Saturday’s clash promises to be a belter.
Competition frontrunners the Tigers are coming off a week’s rest after sweeping AJAX aside in the second semifinal by 47 points, but the Jackas will take confidence into the game after thrashing the Wellers.
The Jackas set the tone early with a devastating opening term, slotting eight goals to two, and going on to take an unassailable 82-point lead into the long break. Jake Lew was the stand-out, kicking nine, while David Fayman and Warren Steinberg both added three. Steinberg started across half-back, where he dominated with run and precision delivery, in a best afield performance, while defenders Rubin Winograd and Nick Marks were also exemplary. In midfield, Marcus Jankie led from the front with courage.
Lew made his intentions clear from the outset, booting four in the first quarter, and Fayman added two of his own and had a hand in plenty more. Young gun Adam Caplan and a fleet-footed Evgeni Routman also slotted majors, while Jankie was everywhere, winning his own footy and pumping it inside attacking 50 with regularity.
There was more pain for the Wellers in the second as the Jackas slotted the first four goals. Lew had two more towards his tally, while Winograd and Ari Lewski added their names to a rapidly growing list of goal kickers.
The Jackas had all the play thanks to their dominance in the midfield, and the composure that was lacking in the first week of finals was evident in not only the second quarter, but throughout the whole game.
Old Camberwell scored a goal against the run of play, but AJAX responded almost immediately through Jarrod White, before Fayman and Marks goaled as the margin ballooned to 82 points at the main break.
It was a more determined Old Camberwell at the start of the second half, the side starting the term brightly with three goals to AJAX’s one, Lewski booting his second. But it was all AJAX thereafter as the side slotted the next four of the quarter, Jason Israelsohn enjoying a five-minute purple patch, which yielded two goals, while Marks and Lew also kicked truly. Even though Old Camberwell managed to kick the last goal of the term, the Jackas still had a commanding 14-goal lead at the final break.
After Old Camberwell kicked the first of the last term, Steinberg stepped up to kick three goals for the quarter, and despite conceding another two, ran out 119-point winners.
Sheehy singled out Jankie, Lew and Steinberg for high praise after the game, and put the win down to being “much stronger around the contests and running the ball well across the field”.
Now with a huge task ahead of them at the same venue on Saturday, the Jackas will have the opportunity to win both the seniors and reserves premierships.
AJAX plays Werribee on Saturday at 2pm in the Premier C grand final, while AJAX plays Ormond in the Premier C reserves grand final at 11.40am. Both games are at Trevor Barker Oval, Sandringham, Melbourne.
REPORT by Ashley Shenker
PHOTO: Jackas big man Jason Seidl soars during Saturday’s preliminary final against Old Camberwell. Photo by Peter Haskin
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