Labrador came into this season with high hopes of making a good run at a finals birth and a grand final appearance. Well they certainly made hay while the sun shined. Their new recruits for the year were clealr their best players all year long. Tim notting was their leading goal kicker and a handy player up the ground and the ever green peter Everett had an outstanding season playing up forward and in the ruck when needed. They rested their best players on and off all through the year and at one stage with Aaron shattock missing a fair chunk of the season, you would have to wonder will it pay off. Well we were proven wrong for most of the year. Arguably their best win was at aspley in round 6. they gave aspley an 8 goal head start and they clawed their way back into the game after half time and ran away victors. Their finals campaign started in week 2 after getting the first week off and they were looking down the barrel of a hefty defeat at 3 quarter time when they came out and piled on 6 goals to stop Morningsides run and put them straight into a grand final. 2 weeks later they faced Morningside again and it was a titanic battle and at 3 quarter time with a 3 goal lead, it looked like the flag was going back to Cooke Murphy oval for the first time ever. But they ran out of steam in the last and were run down to lose by 3 goals. They should be happy with a fantastic season. They are one step closer to glory and with a new coach they can take that step
IT IS A GRAND OLD FLAG. BACK TO BACK FOR THE SIDERS
Morningside were the hunted this year and they came into this season on a 18 game winning steak and looking to build on it. They lost the jor grant medalist from the year before, when he left the club to join his dad at coorparoo and they had to fill that hole he left. They filled it well with the prize recruit of Aaron rogers and gee he had an outstanding year across the half back line and repelling the best any opposition could throw at him. They started off the home and away season with a bang, after unfurling the flag from last season. They romped home against an undermanned Mt Gravatt side by 16 goals. They won their next 2 away from home and they lost 3 of their best players to injuries in the process. The streak came to an end at the hands of a determined aspley team in round 4 and in that game they lost their live wire forward Hayden Wilson to a season ending knee injury. For the rest of the season. It was an up for a while and than down in patches. Punctuated by disappointing losses to Labrador at home and the Vultures at ditmar park. They still had enough will to beat a strong southport team at home. Their finals campaign started off like a house on fire. With an 8 goal to 1 burst in the second quarter against the wind at southport. Morningside booked their berth into the second semi final against labrador. They led all day against labrador in the second semi final too be run down by a fired up labrador team in the last and they were to meat arch rivals in the preliminary final. The preliminary final was a tight game up to half time. Morningside kicked 6 unanswered goals to gap the sharks and with Hughes and co being blanketed out of the game by Rogers and Price. It looked like the panthers were going back to another grand final. Southport kicked the first 2 and got6 a sniff and came flying home and everyone was starting to think, oh no not again. But the strong backline stopped southport in their tracks and sent the panthers back to the grand final for the third year in a row. The grand final was a classic. Morningside really had the best of the fisrst half and should have been further in front. But Labrador jumped them in the third and got a run on and had a handy lead going into the last. When labrador kicked the fist of the last, things were looking as bleak as the greay sky over head on the day. Tom hickey was thrown into the ruck andf he turned the game on it's head. 8 unanswered goals and 4 from fester mugavin, later the flag was heading back to esplin oval and oh what a game of footy it was. It was another great season for the panthers. They have lost a few good players since. Gough retired and hickey off to the suns are the biggest losses. But I am sure they will recruit well to replace them and compete well in NEAFL next year
CHECK BOOK NEEDED AGAIN FOR SOUTHPORT
Southport came into this year after a big spending spree over the summer with massive hopes of bringing the flag back down the highway. Their buys were 3 ex afl players and a former grogan medalist to add to what was a pretty good squad and everyone was all thinking will this team jell enough through the whole season and win another premiership for the sharks. They started off the season like a house on fire, they were winning games by decent margins and all their buys were in thei best nearly every week. Their first loss came against the thunder in alice springs. The next week they played some sublime football in the second half to run over a gallant vultures side. After the state game where most of their new buys stared in the game. They won their first 3 games and than they come up against their arch rivals and they were pretty much out classed and evern though they made a gallant fight back. They couldn't peg the siders back. Than they started un ravil and 3 more losses and2 scrappy wins against the hornets and the magpies. They went into the finals in second place after holding top spot for 3 quarters of the season. They had a home final against their arch rival and a 8 goal to 1 second quarter put the sharks to rest. In the semi final a week later at home, they came out breathing fire and with as 9 goal to 1 second quarter, ended the vultures year. The prelim final was up next and against their arch rival at coorparoo. It was a massive tight battle for the first 2 quarter. The sidersjumped them acfter half time and took a 6 goal lead into the last and with cleve hughes and Cameron Maclarren being completely shut out of the game. They needed a spark. They got that and got within a kick with 5 to. But they couldn't kick that next goal to get even with the siders. Another year and no flag for southport, that's 2 years in a row now. Danny wise won the grogan in what was a brilliant year for him and their 2s won another flag for the club. Next year will bring a new and old coach for them and they will no doubt go on a buying spree again
