ALBURY is through to its eighth straight grand final after a hard-fought 28-point victory over Lavington in Saturday’s second semi-final at Birallee Park.
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The Tigers will now shoot for their second hattrick of flags in under a decade after kicking clear of the Panthers in the second half for a 11.12 (78) to 7.8 (50) win.
As he has been in each of his nine matches this season, Daniel Cross was simply sensational for the Tigers and will now get the chance to follow in his father Peter’s footsteps by playing in an Albury premiership.
There was an all-in brawl before the first bounce but it was the Tigers who came out swinging on the scoreboard, kicking six of the first seven goals of the match to jump to a 31-point lead.
Josh Mellington had the chance to put the Tigers 37 points clear five minutes into the second quarter but, inexplicably, opted to snap a set shot from the top of the goal square and missed, which sparked a change in momentum.
Andrew Dess kicked the Panthers’ second goal with a long bomb two minutes later and when Matt Sharp, Adam Prior and Jack Nunn, after the siren, banged on three quick ones, the margin was just five points at half-time.
If Mellington’s miss sparked a change in momentum in the second term, it was his class that turned it their way in the third.
The former Benalla sharpshooter kicked three of his four goals, including two classy snaps, after half-time as the Tigers established an 18-point lead at the final change.
The Panthers had the wind in the last quarter and were close enough if they were good enough but the ball barely entered their forward 50m arc as Albury peppered the goals.
Cross, who racked up another 35 silky disposals between the midfield and half-back, iced a stellar game with a goal right on the final siren.
Albury co-coach Daniel Maher, who was among the best players on Saturday, said the Tigers found an extra gear with Cross in the side and hoped they could reward the former Western Bulldog and Melbourne star with a flag in a fortnight.
“We do stand a little bit taller when he’s in the side,” he said.
“Hopefully in two weeks he will get himself a premiership medal.”
Maher admitted there was no love lost between the Tigers and Panthers with several spotfires breaking out between the teams throughout the day.
“It’s not far out the road but there’s certainly a little bit of spite,” he said.
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