The unbeaten (12-0) Western Crusaders will face the 10-2 Monash Warriors in Vic Bowl XXXIV Saturday, November 17 at Hendy Street Reserve in Geelong, Australia.
The is is the second time in three years these two teams have faced each other in the final. Two years ago, the Warriors prevailed 16-12 but were eliminated in the semifinals last year. The Crusaders are the defending champions and have not lost a game since that championship game loss two years ago.
The Warriors are 11-time Vic Bowl champions and are making their 16th appearance in the title game. Western has won the Gridiron Victoria championship game four times in five attempts.
The two teams met earlier this year with Western coming out on top 36-16.
To reach the final, the Crusaders first rolled over the Ballarat Falcons 46-3 in the quarterfinals and then easily handled the Croydon Rangers 36-15. Monash’s road to the final included a 44-0 quarterfinal blanking of the Bendigo Dragons before they surprised the Melbourne University Royals in the semifinals, beating them 26-14.
Scott Anthony of Gridiron Down Under is giving the edge to the Crusaders:
“Crusaders QB Andrew Healy who went home, will make a return to play in this one. Without him the game could have gone either way but with is scrambling ability and strong arm I see another championship heading out west. The defense doesn’t really need to be spoken about as we are all well aware how good they can be.
The Warriors key will be protecting QB Dom Dearman and ensuring the running game is on fire to have any chance of a victory. They have three running backs who would start on any other team. The defense looked to have stepped it up a notch just at the right time and won’t want to let the Crusaders score easily.”
Watch the game live here. Western Crusaders v. Monash Warriors, Sat. Nov. 17 3p (5a CEST, 11p Nov. 16 EST) (Preliminary games kick off at 10 am (12 am CEST, 6p Nov. 16 EST)
