SKOB power past Lions to set up a date with OX

SKOB have marched into the Premier Division Preliminary final following a dominant win over Collegians at Elsternwick Park this afternoon. In bleak, cold and slippery conditions, SKOB were able to handle the going better and were too strong for Collegians on the day. Coming in to the game on the back of some recent shaky form, SKOB showed no ill effects as they went about playing a finals brand of football from the get go.

As the rain tumbled down approaching start time, both sides would have known that this tough encounter would surely now become more of a scrap, with the most determined and hard at it side being the likely winner in these conditions. The breeze was blowing across the ground and most of the play was consigned to the far side of the ground where only the most hardy fans were gathered. SKOB were kicking to the Glenhuntly Rd end and started brightly despite the steady rain. The ball was parked in their forward line for most of the opening term but for all their dominance, all SKOB could boast from the opening 10 minutes was a couple of scrappy behinds. Then Cam Hodges ran onto a knock over the back and waltzed in for the game’s first goal. Mitch Brown was front and centre to crumb a great goal shortly afterward and SKOB were away. From then it was fairly even with both sides enjoying moments. Billy Kanakis snapped a beauty that sailed in perfectly on the fluky breeze, but Collegians also were able to kick a clever goal from the pocket and at quarter time SKOB were up 4 goals to 2.

The rain eased a little after the first change but the ground was now very slippery and skills were blunted somewhat. Jack Holden somehow found himself alone in the goalsquare and dobbed an early one to consolidate SKOB’s early game momentum. From then on the game became very dour as both sides struggled to find a way forward and the ball spent great periods of