Finals Football: Bring back Brad

QUALIFYING FINAL: MAGPIES v HAWKS

Hands Oval, 2.30pm, Sunday

Star Busselton defender Brad Kearney appears set to make a timely return to the Magpies’ line-up this weekend in a bid to contain prolific Augusta-Margaret River sharpshooter Tim Noakes.

Coach Darian Cheffers is expected to turn to his co-captain as the man to take on the demanding task of corralling the league’s leading goalkicker in Sunday’s qualifying final.

Cheffers this week rated Kearney a 95 per cent chance of taking the field on Sunday and named him as the likely opponent for Noakes who has booted 89 majors in 2011.

Kearney has been hampered by soft tissue injuries this season and played only one of Busselton’s last five games, but has proved an effective match-up for Noakes, limiting him to one major in round three, and three in round 12.

Cheffers this week named Noakes as an important player that his side ‘‘has to stop’’.

‘‘I think if you look through their results this year, in just about every game that they’ve won, he’s kicked nearly half the score,’’ he said.

‘‘He is a big match-up for us.

‘‘We’ve got a lot of respect for Margaret River and their key group of players.’’

Noakes made sure of his title as the South West’s leading goalkicker with a haul of nine at the weekend, spearheading a red-hot Hawks attack that booted 27.16 (178) on their way to a 141-point obliteration of Carey Park.

Augusta-Margaret River coach Luke Norman said that Sunday’s result was proof his side did not have a onedimensional forward line structure.

‘‘Obviously Tim Noakes was really, really good but it was good to see Morgs (Josh Morgan) kick four and Jay Uhd kick four,’’ he said.

‘‘It just goes to showwe’re not solely reliant on Tim Noakes to kick winning scores for us, so it was a huge positive on the weekend to get those other boys among the goalkickers.’’

The winner of Sunday’s final will play minor premiers South Bunbury the following weekend.

An elimination final date against either Harvey-Brunswick-Leschenault or Eaton Boomers awaits the loser.

Busselton have twice defeated Margaret River this season—a threepoint victory in round three and a 35-point triumph in round 12.

Norman said his side was looking to repay the favour this weekend.

‘‘We’ve been looking forward to this, ever since we lost that game before the break, the boys are really pumped and ready to go,’’ he said.