THERE were plenty of positives to take out of the weekend at Renmark, despite Murray South East failing to return with the South Australian Country Football Championship in hand.
An agonising three-point loss to Central in its opening game of the carnival cost Murray South East a chance at the desired three-peat.
However, not to be outdone, the former champions went on to defeat Eastern by a comfortable 52 points in game two, before beating rivals South Districts in the consolation final by 22 to finish third in the carnival.
Southern Districts had a similar fate to Murray South East and also lost its opening game by a slim margin to end its grand final hopes, while Western took home the bragging rights for 2018 with a 30-point win over Central in the grand final.
Despite falling short of the “major game” Murray South East coach Adam Merrett was proud of his side’s efforts.
Ben Simounds, Billy Lawire, Simon Berkefeld, Scott Merrett and Clint Gallio were all selected in the team-of-the-championships.
Merrett claimed the Best Under 21 player of the championships, while Simounds took out leading goal-kicker (five goals) on a weekend where all sides found it difficult to convert.
All five players are now up for state selection.
Those chosen to represent South Australia Country will play off against Western Australia Country at the end of July.
Adam Merrett said while the five players were recognised for state football, he was proud of the entire Murray South East zone squad that competed in the championships over the weekend.
“These are all proud blokes who have been really good at both club and interleague level,” he said.
“They want to come here and play at that next level and this standard is just under SANFL football.
“I could not have asked for more from the group and to be honest it is one of the best I have seen come through.
“I have been involved in this carnival since 2002 and sometimes you are just unlucky and have to cop it on the chin, that’s football.”
Merrett said the missed opportunities in the first match cost Murray South East a chance at claiming the desired three-peat.
“We had 70pc of the play in the opening game, but just did not kick the goals,” he said.
“The work rate and the effort was there, we just did not finish off and that was the big thing.
“We did not change that much in the second game, we just made the most of our opportunities.
“The first game we scored 1.7, but in the second 6.3, so eight scoring shots to nine, but the score on the board was the big difference.”
Eastern was no challenge for Murray South East in the second game.
The former champions returned to the field as determined as ever.
“I was really pleased with the boys’ willingness,” Merrett said.
“Their rotations to help keep their legs fresh, their efforts around the ground, there were no selfish acts, there was not a moment over the weekend where I thought one bloke was doing anything just for himself.
“We had that opportunity to play off for third place and we knew what we had to do.”
“The guys wanted to get the maximum reward out of the weekend,” coach Adam Merret
A rivalry between Southern Districts and Murray South East has formed over the years, which made for a tough four-quarter hit out in the consolation final on Sunday.
However, Merrett said his side had no intention on letting the game slip.
“We have played off against Southern Districts in a lot of grand finals and we had normally been on the other end of it, but the last five or so years we have managed to turn it around and win a lot,” he said.
“We have won the last three out of four championships and while it was disappointing to not make the grand final, we still wanted to go out there and show we were a cut above their league.”
Merrett said while the silverware was the ultimate goal, the way the Murray South East side developed over the weekend was pleasing.
“The weekend is about the players growing,” he said.
“It is important to get this experience so they can go back and apply it at club level.
“Although we did not make the grand final, we all enjoyed the weekend and left with a smile on our faces.”
After finishing third out of the six zones, Murray South East will come back swinging in 2019 in hope to return to the top of the table.
