Jack Toft
Years ago
Premier League Grand Final 2015
Well poindexters, what a massive week in South Australian basketball. The 2015 Premier League season is reaching its cruscendo with the Grand Final of both the men's and women's divisions having their grand final this Saturday night at Adelaide Arena.
Women 6:15 pm - Norwood Flames v North Adelaide Rockets
This is the third Norwood-North GF in four seasons. Norwood have been the ones to beat for some time in the Premier League and with talent oozing out of their roster, they will go into this Grand Final as hot, hot favourites. So hot in fact you could fry on egg on Jess Foley's clipboard. That’s why Vicki has the asbestos mitts on standby.
What a season for the Flames. Undefeated all season and winning in double figures in all but one game (beat West @ Port by 8), one would expect the Flames to land this one by Quarter time and then release their bench teasing North all the way to the final siren.
North have been in the last 3 grand finals and after being bridesmaids for the first two, took the flag home last season. They are the current Champions, but won’t want to be the bridesmaids three times in a row in GF's against Norwood.
For Norwood, Foley has been the standout all season. Good has been good, with Ortlepp showing form that has resulted in interest from the Lightning.
For North, the olde warhorse is embarrassing some players in the league half her age. She can’t do it by herself and North will need to work as one to have any chance of back to back flags.
Norwood have won by 10, 20 and 20 in their 3 games this season. Grand Finals can be funny affairs, but it’s hard not to back Norwood to win by 20.
Men 8:15 pm - Norwood Flames v Sturt Sabres
Well.....for those of you who have blinked over the last few weeks, believe it or not Sturt are in another Grand Final. Another one! And they did it from 5th spot, something Jacob Holmes knows all about after he did it in 2004.
Him and his Norwood boys had to book their GF spot. There’s no way they would want to be upstaged by the girls, yet again. They have had a pretty good season under the guidance of David Cooper, but minor season performance means nothing on the night of the big dance. Norwood have some quality players and are probably marginally ahead on the matchups against the Sturt boys. But the thing that Sturt has is momentum.
Brett Maher coaching a rag tag team of youngsters to a GF win on the Brett Maher court? Get me Scott Hicks, this is the stuff that makes Hollywood glitter.
Norwood have won both of their games this season, but both games have been tight. This game will be tighter than a rashy on Clive Palmer. I’m expecting this will go down to the wire and deserves an overtime encore.
Sturt, Sturt rub them in the dirt, out they come with grand final flag.
