RooTube: Werribee Preview with Dave Newett
ALMOST TWO WEEKS after North Melbourne's season ended at the hands of the Sydney Swans, the club has been divided.
Half of the players have turned to one allegiance while the rest have passionately thrown their support behind another.
And Dean Laidley and his coaching staff are caught in the middle, waiting to see the outcome of the sparring that intensified on Monday.
But there's comfort in the knowledge that it will only last three more days – that is, once the result of the VFL preliminary final between North Ballarat and Werribee is decided.
The Roos' lower level affiliates are a win away from playing in a grand final against the winner of the parallel clash between Port Melbourne and Williamstown.
Werribee booked this date with a comfortable win over Casey in last weekend's semi, while North Ballarat enjoyed a weekend off after pushing through Williamstown in the qualifying final.
"There's already been feeling after we got over the line against Casey," said Werribee's Scott McMahon, who also played 13 games with North Melbourne this year, including the elimination final.
"The boys started to get stuck into us and they've actually split up training now so we don't see the Ballarat guys, which is good. There's a bit of tension, everyone's a bit toey, ready to go."
McMahon added that a win for the Tigers this week, and next, could serve as some small consolation for North Melbourne's disappointing end to the year.
"That's why we play the game, to win grand finals," he said. "We got knocked out of the AFL finals, so hopefully we can get a VFL grand final under our belt and give the younger guys that haven't played much footy in the AFL a bit of experience in finals footy against a good opponent.
"It's a great alignment that we've got and it's also good to get down there and train with them.
"Hopefully we thump Ballarat, get one up on those boys."
Rooster Blake Grima, who played three games for North this season, wants to finish on a high after missing the consistency at senior level he had hoped for.
"I'm sure the club would be extremely happy they've got two teams in a prelim final and obviously one that's going to play off in a VFL grand final," he said. "They couldn't ask for much more than that.
"I've played pretty much the whole year with the Ballarat boys. This is our third year with them, so I've got to know them all pretty well.
"I've never played in a premiership and it doesn't matter what level it's at, I just really want to get a taste of one.
"We've formed a pretty close bond with all the playing group and the coaches at Ballarat, so I want this as bad as anything."
Players from both sides had been training together at Arden Street under the watch of development coach David Newitt and assistant coaches Darren Crocker and Darren Bewick.
However, an end was called to the shared skills sessions while main training has been held at the respective Werribee and North Ballarat camps twice a week.
"They've tried to separate us a little bit at training over the last fortnight ... just to get away from all that," Grima confirmed.
"Half of their team are our teammates. It's just one of those cases where you've just got to go out there and disregard your opposition and just treat them like you would any other week."
Asked whether he would crunch another Roo if he had the opportunity, Grima was clear with his intentions.
"I won't think twice. I'll just be going as hard as I can.
"Within the rules though," he laughed.
In Thursday evening's extended squads, North Ballarat named Grima, Gavin Urquhart, Eddie Sansbury, Andrew Swallow, Josh Smith, Robbie Tarrant, Michael Wundke and Cruize Garlett.
Werribee selected recently-retired Roo Jess Sinclair, McMahon, Leigh Brown, Lachlan Hansen, Todd Goldstein, Matt Riggio, Ben Davies, Ben Ross, Scott Thompson and Alan Obst.
North Ballarat:
B: Sharkey Moloney Greig
HB: Feery Searl Urquhart
C: Sansbury Goodes Roach
HF: Wundke Spolding McMahon
F: Driscoll Jo. Smith Grima
R: Stephenson Swallow Clifton
Int: McHugh Garlett Chester Dinnell Tarrant Owen McConnell Sewell
Werribee Tigers:
B: Saker Obst Howard
HB: Henderson S. Thompson Hansen
C: Ross Sinclair Barlow
HF: Greenwood Brown Davies
F: McMahon Podsiadly Chisholm
R: Goldstein Castello Gleeson
Int: Eddy Sheringham Young Riggio Wormald Rockefeller Warren Kenelley
The VFL preliminary final between North Ballarat and Werribee will take place at TEAC Oval on Sunday at 2.10pm.
