Anglesea coach Jordan Keras isn’t shying away from the hype of being in a grand final after the club booked its first berth in a Bellarine decider in 24 years.
The Roos trailed by as much as 24 points late in the first quarter of Saturday’s second semi-final at Portarlington’s Ron Evans Oval before claiming a seven-point win over minor premier Torquay.
It was Anglesea’s first win over their archrivals since Round 14, 2018, snapping an 11-game losing streak against the Tigers.
“Being part of a couple of flags myself and being lucky enough to be around successful clubs, I’ve some nice things clubs do in times like this,” Keras said.
“And we’ll try to make it as special as possible because, at the end of the day, we’ve just got to try and enjoy it and do our best.”
Keras used his post-match address to praise the evenness of Anglesea’s performance.
“The message to the players was just how much guts and determination it took from everyone,” he said.
“I will always tell our boys, ‘You’ve got to have your moments. You can’t rely on one, two, three players to get the job done, especially in a big final’.
“I was proud of players who stood up when it was their turn.
“No one played outstanding, but everyone just had their moments, and it was nice to see that get us over the line.”
Part of Anglesea’s preparation will be a training run at Leopold Memorial Park.
The Roos last played at the venue in the 2018 qualifying final, with only Ash Caldwell and Sam Leeds from yesterday’s team featuring in that loss to Modewarre more than six years ago.
Harrison Veale, who Keras has indicated will return for the grand final, also played that day.
Veale, who has been fighting fires in Canada, is one of up to four players Keras will consider for the grand final.
“There’s going to be a few selection headaches and some tough conversations, that’s for sure,” Keras said.
“Veale’s in for the granny. Max Simpson will put his hand up. Courtney Wedderburn will put his hand up.
“And Jack Rice will also try and put his hand up.
“We’ll wait and see.”
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