The disappointment of losing last season’s grand final by two goals will be fresh in the minds of the Gibson players and could be the motivating force to take the Tigers to the 2025 EDFA League premiership, according to their coach Aogan McCallion.
“We have really been preparing for it since the start of last year,” he said.
“The fact we didn’t win last season has made the fire burn in the belly a bit stronger.
“Our preparation has been pretty good and we’re looking forward to it, hoping to get some revenge back on the Bulldogs.”
Women’s. Photos: Greg Symes.
Matches between the two sides this season have been close with Esperance taking the direct route into its 14th straight grand final with a 24 point win a fortnight ago in the qualifying final against the same opponent.
“All the games this year have been very close and it’s generally the team that gets the jump in the first quarter who goes on to win, the team that can handle the heat in the start of the game is the team that can get on with it,” McCallion said.
Esperance’s League coach Roger Parsons agrees.
“I think both teams are pretty even; it’s just a matter of which team takes the early opportunities,” he said.
“I’m pretty confident if we keep playing the way we have been playing (all season) we should be pretty right; it’s going to be a cracking game of footy.”
Both teams will go in near enough to full strength for Saturday’s clash, though both teams will be missing key players due to injury.
League. Photos: Greg Symes.
“Preparations have been pretty good so far and everyone seems ready to go,” Parsons said.
“We have everyone available so it’s all about the few hard decisions about how we lineup in the grand final.”
McCallion said: “we have had a few injuries through the year which have been prolonged a bit longer than we expected.
“We lost Patrick Jannings, last year’s Hepburn Medal joint winner, earlier in the season and Reuben Wakeham as well. He is a really explosive and dynamic player so that is a bit of a setback.
A-Reserves. Photos: Greg Symes.
“But for the big dance, injuries don’t really matter. You have got to put them all aside and get going.”
The Bulldogs and Tigers have met in three of the last four grand finals, Esperance winning in 2021 and 2024 as Gibson were too powerful in 2023 to the tune of 57 points.
Esperance will chase a 30th EDFA League premiership for the club while Gibson, if successful, will claim its 19th League premiership.
Last weekend Gibson kicked seven goals to nil in the first quarter of the preliminary final at Esperance Oval as they defeated the Lions by 66 points.
David Macleay (four goals), Hamish Jannings (three goals) and Trent Stevens (two goals) were on fire early for the Tigers leaving the Lions shellshocked.
In the A-Reserves, Gibson have lost only one match for the season, facing up against a resurgent Ports who accounted for Esperance by three goals in the preliminary final.
Gibson will be looking to cap off an undefeated season and a hat trick of premierships in the EDFAW coming up against a youthful Lions outfit.
The Lions won a remarkable preliminary final, against a gallant Ports side by one point with Beatrice Crane kicking a point in the dying seconds of the match as it headed to extra time.
