Saturday’s QFA Division 1 HART Sport Cup Grand Final is set to be a history making two hours of football, irrespective of the score at full time. Will Mayne stamp their authority as the modern day Division 1 powerhouse and go back-to-back, or can Springwood claim their third title in five seasons?
Mayne will go into the decider with the tag of heavy favourites, after dropping just one match throughout the home and away season. In an odd circumstance of chance, after drawing Springwood in the final round of the season, and playing the Pumas in week 1 of finals, the Grand Final will be the third game in a row the Tigers have played their opponents.
Whilst a 99-point win in Round 19 against a heavily depleted Springwood outfit may not be the best judge of where these two sides are at, the 10 goal victory in favour of the Tigers in the Qualifying final two weeks ago certainly cemented Mayne as the side to beat this year.
The form guide might not be on Springwood’s side, but history might be. Looking back at the road to their 2023 premiership, Springwood were heavily beaten by the undefeated Coorparoo in the qualifying final. Fast forward to quarter time of the Grand Final, and the Pumas had the backs against the wall, trailing the Kings by 31 points. Three quarters later captain Rowan Page had put in a best on ground performance to lead Springwood to a premiership against all odds.
No doubt this will be at the front of Springwood’s mind this week as they prepare to yet again take down the premiership favourites on the last day of the season. Nine players from the 2023 premiership will line up on Saturday, and experience in the big games is definitely something Springwood will be looking to lean on.
If they are to get the job done on Saturday afternoon, they will need to come up with a plan to stop the triple threat that is Ryan Doolan, Zachary Quin and Zac McLean. The trio has booted 180 goals between them this season, holding 3 of the top 4 leading goal kicker sports in the competition.
Key recruit Tex Korewha has also flexed his muscles over the past two outings for the Tigers, booting 11 goals and providing a headache when playing forward or in the Ruck and will no doubt be a focus to try and shutdown for Springwood.
For Springwood to win the flag, there will be high hopes on Harrison King standing tall Saturday afternoon. The gun midfielder has quickly made a name for himself as one of the biggest recruits across the Division 1 competition with the former Werribee (VFL) gun joining the Pumas from Barwon Heads ahead of the 2025 season.
In a curious set of circumstances, Springwood’s Dylan Reid will line up for his fourth Division 1 Grand Final in a row. After a best on ground performance in Coorparoo’s 2022 premiership, Reid has featured in both of Coorparoo’s 2023 and 2024 Grand Final losses against Springwood and Mayne respectively. Now at Springwood, the veteran ruckman is in form at the right end of the season, featuring amongst the best players over the last month. Is another match winning performance on the cards for Reid? The Springwood faithful will be hoping so.
Will the 2025 season go to script for Mayne, or is there an upset brewing for Springwood? Only time will tell, but one thing is certain, we are set for a blockbuster afternoon to end yet another gripping season of the QFA Division 1 HART Sport Cup.
Catch all the action at Hickey Park from 2.30pm, or live across AFLQ’s Official YouTube Channel.