Greater Northern League Preliminary Finals Preview

Two places in the Greater Northern League Grand Finals will be decided this weekend, with Queechy Penguins hosting South Burnie in the Men’s competition and South Burnie facing Launceston City in the Women’s preliminary final. 

In the men's competition Queechy and South Burnie will battle for the right to face undefeated minor premiers Burnie Baptist in the Men’s Grand Final.

South Burnie kept their season alive with a hard-fought 2–1 victory over Smithton in last weekend’s elimination semi-final. Hayden Davey scored both goals as South Burnie overcame the challenge of travelling to Smithton and eliminated the third-placed Saints.

Queechy narrowly missed the opportunity to advance directly to the Grand Final, falling 3–2 to Burnie Baptist in the second semi-final. Despite the defeat, the Penguins pushed the competition’s dominant side throughout the contest and will now receive another opportunity on their home turf.

The first meeting between Queechy and South Burnie this season ended in an entertaining 3–3 draw in Round 6. Their more recent encounter was considerably more one-sided, however, with the Penguins powering to a 7–1 victory in Round 18.

Queechy will enter as favourites on the strength of that result and their second-place finish, but South Burnie arrive with the momentum as they attempt to set up a grand final rematch. 

In the Women's competition, South Burnie and Launceston City meet for a place in the Women’s Grand Final against defending premiers Queechy Penguins.

South Burnie came agonisingly close to earning direct passage to the decider last weekend, falling 5–4 to Queechy in a thrilling second semi-final. While the result ended their pursuit of a direct Grand Final berth, it was a performance that indicates they are firmly in the mix for the flag. 

Launceston City advanced with an impressive 2–0 victory over City Marians in the elimination semi-final. After three close and low-scoring meetings between the sides during the regular season, City delivered when it mattered most to keep their campaign alive.

The two previous encounters between South Burnie and Launceston City suggest another tight contest awaits. Their Round 5 meeting ended in a scoreless draw, before South Burnie edged a five-goal thriller 3–2 in Round 16.

South Burnie’s higher ladder position earns them home-ground advantage, but City will arrive with confidence after producing a clean sheet in their first final. With no second chances remaining, the winner will advance to the Grand Final and the loser’s season will come to an end.

Preliminary Finals

Men

Queechy Penguins v South Burnie, 1:00pm, Aurora Energy Northern Hockey Centre

Women

South Burnie v Launceston City, 11:00am, McKenna Park