Sport
Strathmerton hop over Rennie and into the grand final
Strathmerton is through to the Picola and District Football League grand final after defeating Rennie at Deniliquin on Sunday.The Grasshoppers held a slight advantage at the first two breaks before the rain started to set in at Memorial Park.Strathmerton was the better side in the slippery conditions in the second half, kicking 7.3 to Rennie’s 2.4.Lance Oswald notched three goals for the Bulldogs, while teammate Travis Down kicked two.Daniel Mangan was the only Rennie player to score multiples goals, kicking two for the afternoon.‘‘It’s a great effort by all involved, especially the playing group who have invested a lot of time and effort into making this a great year,’’ Bulldogs coach Tim Bramich said.‘‘Rennie at Deni in trying conditions for football was always going to be a tough ask and, in a physical slog, it was pleasing to see our boys stand up all day and eventually get over the line.‘‘Sammy Lewis was terrific all day, throwing his light frame into the fray and Shannon Emmett provided plenty of drive off half back.‘‘Matty Shannon and Adrian Crestani battled hard to also repel many of Rennie’s forward thrusts.’’The 26-point win sets up at tantalising grand final against Waaia, which defeated Deniliquin 70-37 in Saturday’s preliminary final.The Bombers and the Bulldogs finished first and second in the regular season and, while Waaia edged the minor premiership, Strathmerton is the only side to beat Matt Brown’s side this season — a 83-45 result in round eight.The grand final kicks off at Berrigan Recreation Reserve at 2.05 pm.Full grand final preview in Thursday’s Shepparton News
