Lions roar into decider

For the first time in 14 years, Whorouly has made the senior Ovens and King grand final after a resounding preliminary final triumph at North Wangaratta on Saturday. Up against the nominal home team in North Wangaratta with nothing less than a shot at the premiership on the line, the Lions controlled the match for the full four quarters to run out 50-point winners, 13.13 (91) to 5.11 (41). With slippery conditions due to heavy rainfall in the leadup to the match, it took some time for both teams to settle into the match. Whorouly kicked the first three goals of the day while it would take until the second term for the Hawks to find their first major, with Eden White kicking true in the first few minutes after quarter time. While the physicality and pressure at the contest was immense from both teams, the Lions looked the more settled, and were able to cut off the Hawks’ forays forwards and punish on counterattack. As the match wore in, North Wangaratta couldn’t string together enough offensive pressure and scoreboard output to chip away at the deficit, denied consecutive goals all day. Lions coach Michael Newton kicked his fifth of the day in the dying minutes to put the margin to 40 points, and from there, Whorouly was able to manage to clock through the fourth to secure the win. Max Scott was named best on ground for his aerial dominance across the backline for the Lions, while the big mids Josh Newton and Harvey Dodgshun put in a fantastic shift through the guts. For North Wangaratta, Nelson Bowey and Sam Henderson were impressive, alongside Taylor O’Brien, Damien Bradley and David Killen. Whorouly will take on Bright in the 2026 OKFNL grand final on Saturday 12 September at WJ Findlay Oval. The senior Lions will be joined on grand final day by their reserves outfit, who produced a stunning 12.19 (91) to 4.3 (27) win over Bright, their first win over the Mountain Men since 2021. After honours were relatively evenly split through the first quarter, the Lions surged, dominating the ball out of the middle and firing back whenever they conceded a goal. Zac Bladon was immense for the Lions, finishing with three goals, with Sam Jarman, Matt Charleston, Chas Pianegonda and Ezekiel Traczyk named in the best. The Lions will take on North Wangaratta in the reserves grand final this weekend.

Lions roar into decider

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