APOLLO’s A Grade side has secured the first Limestone Coast Football Association grand final berth.
After an intense qualifying final against Gambier Centrals at Bishop Road on Sunday, Apollo claimed a 2-1 win and a ticket into the season decider.
It was a day the Lions will carry with them into this week’s preliminary final against International, after two key players suffered season-ending injuries.
Defender Mitch Cutting went down with a knee injury midway through the first half, while captain Cameron Saint broke his arm.
He had the chance to slot two goals late in the second half and after missing the second, he punched the ground in frustration.
The price was high and Saint will be a big loss for the Lions for the remainder of the season.
Those two outs, paired with the likely absence of star striker Nathan Fleetwood due to a hamstring injury will weigh heavily as Centrals looks to keep its finals campaign alive.
On Sunday Apollo was first to hit the board, after an attempted clearance in Centrals’ goal square did not go to plan and an own goal was scored.
From there Apollo found momentum and after an early push from Centrals, the guests returned fire and held the ball in their forward line.
Steven Hughes was put under pressure in the Lions’ goals, but held firm.
Despite Apollo’s attacking, the next goal came at the opposite end, when a penalty was awarded in the Centrals’ goal square.
Saint stepped up to take the shot and put it through to level the scores.
Intensity flared and the ball was contested through the midfield, with breaks into the forward line at both ends.
However, Apollo capitalised after an impressive volleyed goal from Stewart Wallace to put his team in front.
The arm wrestle continued until the break, with the score at 2-1.
Apollo’s worst enemy was the goal posts, with four or five opportunities hitting the bar.
Centrals also had its chances and the last 20 minutes of play saw the Lions pile on the pressure.
Saint had two narrow misses, while Jayden Breuker also had a chance to level the scores.
However, the clock wound down and when the final whistle blew Apollo erupted in celebration.
Co-coaches Jamie Stephenson and Bruno Vadori were over the moon with the result.
Patrick Wilondja earned praise for his impressive efforts, as he was let lose and made an early impact on the game with his speed and footwork.
“We gave Patty a bit of a free roam this week to really try and release him and just see what he’s got,” Vadori said.
“He came out with probably his best game of the year so far.”
With a stressful run to the finish, Stephenson said the pressure was on at 2-1.
“I think the hardest thing when you are 2-1 up is when they have that momentum you start panicking as a team,” he said.
“They had a couple of chances at the end, but we just held it tight.”
However, the team will need to capitalise on its opportunities in the grand final if it is to finally claim the premiership which has been elusive for so long.
“In the first half we probably could have scored another four goals and the second half could have been three if we were lucky,” Vadori said.
“The point that we got it up there and we were attacking and having those shots was good, but we really need to work on our finishing.”
The two coaches named Wilondja as best player for the match, but there was plenty of praise for all involved.
Adam Walker and Franco Kwibuka were solid in defence all day, while Harry Wilson was another young gun who impressed.
Tobbei Kennett was the general through the midfield again, while Tom Inglis was his usual hard-working self down back.
Erike Irakoze was another driving force for Apollo and was responsible for several forward entries, while also unlucky not to hit the scoreboard.
“I think everyone stood up and knew what it (the win) was worth,” Stephenson said.
“We finished fourth last year in A Grade.
“We have been a pretty consistent 11 or 12 every week for the whole year, which I think when you get into finals it really shows.
“The boys were together, they believed in it, they wanted it and it showed.”
Apollo will now wait for the verdict of this Sunday’s preliminary final to decide whether it will be International or Centrals which progresses.
