Pigeons fall in a heartstopper

For the Pigeons, A Grade preliminary finals have been incredibly close affairs in recent years. One went to overtime, while Sunday’s contest was just one or two seconds away from producing another extra-time thriller.

Since 2004, Pigeons A Grade has finished third or higher on all but one occasion and has featured in 14 of the past 17 Grand Finals. For such a proud and successful group, there is no doubt this loss will hurt.

In attack, Bridget Cassar and Maddy Allan combined well throughout the opening half, while the introduction of Kaleisha Pell midway through the second term proved well timed. The ability to rotate three powerful scoring options gave the Pigeons plenty of attacking firepower, particularly with Gemma Muldoon delivering into the circle with great accuracy.

At the other end, Hannah Symes led the defensive effort. With star pupil Maisee Pell unavailable through injury — although it was fantastic to see her on her feet and supporting her teammates, the Pigeons coaching staff turned to Lauren Nolan, who attacked her key match-up with Wodonga star shooter Molly Moylan with great intensity.

The game see-sawed throughout, with neither side able to create any real separation. It was consistently a goal or two either way, with every mistake quickly punished.

Just as the Pigeons rotated their three goalers, the move of Kylie Leslie onto Moylan provided plenty of impetus in the third quarter. The Pigeons surged into the lead at the final break, and their flexibility and ability to keep fresh legs on the court looked like it might be enough to get them over the line.

But Moylan was simply outstanding in the final term, finishing with 13 goals from 13 attempts. The Pigeons defenders worked tirelessly and applied immense pressure, but she proved too good when it mattered most.

Even then, the Pigeons were agonisingly close. The final ball was only seconds away from finding the net and sending the game into overtime, but it was not to be.

Games like Sunday’s can be decided by the smallest of margins, a missed opportunity, a call that could have gone either way, or even the timing of the end of a quarter, which in this instance effectively created two turnovers.

The Pigeons can take enormous pride from another outstanding A Grade campaign, but there will be no hiding the disappointment of falling just short of yet another Grand Final appearance.

B Grade – Grand Final Bound

While the A Grade campaign has come to an end, there is still plenty to play for, with the Pigeons B Grade side preparing for a Grand Final and chasing back-to-back premierships.

This is an impressive line-up, boasting a level of experience that many A Grade teams would love to have at their disposal.

Lauren Nolan will slide back into B Grade for the Grand Final, joining Kira Dickins and Grace Stillard to form a formidable defensive combination.

Through the midcourt, Kristy David and Jackie Oswald complement each other beautifully. Their contrasting styles provide plenty of options, drive and composure, while at the other end of the court, Ellie Urquhart and Sarah Moore form an elite scoring combination under the post.

With experience across every area of the court, along with the confidence of a team that knows exactly what it takes to win, the Pigeons B Grade side has put itself in the perfect position to finish the job.

So, while the disappointment of the A Grade result remains, the Pigeons still have one more big opportunity.

Make sure you get along and support this great squad as they chase back-to-back flags.