Premiership great Tim Barton will play, but Bell Post Hill will leave until tomorrow morning to make a call on defender Daniel Banister’s fitness for the preliminary final clash with East Geelong.
Barton underwent surgery on a finger injury suffered in the elimination final win over Anakie, but coach Ash Witney has confirmed to K rock Football the six-time flag winner is right to go.
The Panthers’ lone change could see Barton replace Banister, with the former GDFNL Team of the Year selection battling soreness.
Bell Post Hill, which reached the preliminary final in 2023, is chasing its first grand final appearance since winning the last of its seven flags in eight seasons in 2017.
Witney says the Eagles impressed him in both their meetings during the home-and-away season, including inflicting the Panthers’ biggest loss of the season – by 66 points – in Round 5.
“They’re the best team that we’ve played all year, so let’s go out there and just have a crack – that’s all we can do,” he said.
“We’re confident that if we can get the game looking like a Bell Post Hill game, that we can get on top of them,
“Obviously, they want to play a certain way, too. They’re a very good side, very well drilled, coached, (and) they’ve got some very good players, so we’re going to be up against it,
“But I’m confident that we can get the job done.”
X: @krockfootball
