One-point win adds to belief

Augusta-Margaret River will aim to extend their impressive run of form when they face Eaton Boomers in Sunday’s first semi-final at Glen Huon Reserve.

The Hawks, who have won five in a row, came from 36 points down to defeat South Bunbury by a point in Sunday’s thrilling elimination final at Hands Oval.

Hawks coach Matt Jamieson feels there were several factors behind his side’s second half revival.

“To win a final always means a lot,” he said.

“For a lot of the guys it was their first or second final — as we had a lot of the group play last year. Probably to lose by a kick last year to Harvey Bulls also maybe instilled a bit of belief to keep grinding away and finding a way to win.

“We never felt we were out of it. We just needed to get a few things like match ups right and the rest looked out for itself in the second half.”

Jamieson praised the Boomers’ ability to use the football well and push hard into their forward line but was confident his side had the ability to match them.

“We obviously know if you put good pressure around the ball and don’t let it get to the outside easy – that’s obviously something we are going to look to do to combat that,” he said.

“We also have to be a little bit cleaner and composed earlier than we were last week. We probably rushed a bit and that probably stood out with South Bunbury capitalising on our turnovers.”

Boomers coach Brett Maguire feels his side’s ability to remain calm when challenged is a real asset in the finals.

“It’s one of the things I really preach to them,” he said following the nine point qualifying final loss to Bunbury.

“It’s about being calm. The pressure is going to be applied and it’s about how we handle that.”