Unwanted history was made and the cream rose to the top on the final day of the AFL South Coast home and away season.
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Wollongong Bulldogs failed in their bid to qualify for a 10th straight finals campaign after their colours were lowered by a rampant Kiama Power on Saturday.
The Power were never headed at Keira Oval, downing the Bulldogs 19.12 -126 to 8.7-55.
Fellow heavyweights Wollongong Lions also showed their class, hammering the undermanned Bomaderry Tigers 16.16 - 112 to 2.1 - 13.
Despite the drubbing the Tigers still finished fourth and will play the Figtree Kangaroos in an elimination final next Saturday.
In the other round 18 fixture Northern Districts (7.12-54) beat Shellharbour (6.7-43).
Wollongong Lions finished top but will have to travel to Kiama for this Saturday's major-semifinal stoush against the Power.
Lions coach Ray Burgess praised his team's showing against the Tigers but stressed Wollongong will have to play better to beat Kiama next Saturday.
Burgess also downplayed the Lions' round 17 73-point thumping of the Power.
"I think it will be entirely different this time around. They will have a few more players back in and there will be a real desire for them to bounce back," he said.
"We just have to try and keep playing our brand of footy that we've been working on over the last nine months.
"We will be focussing on what we can do to win the game.
"We are pretty evenly matched and know each other pretty well.
"It will come down to who handles the pressure moments best and making sure you take the opportunities when you get them because they are pretty hard to get."
Kiama coach Ben Rawson said the heavy loss to their fierce rivals was hard to take.
"As soon as they beat us we started working on things...because we knew we'd be playing them again," Rawson said.
"They are definitely the best side in the comp at the moment and it is up to us to come back and beat them.
"I think early in the year everyone was saying the target was on our back but it is definitely the Lions who are the team to beat at the moment."
Agron Latifi
Wollongong born and bred. I love reporting about the Illawarra region and have been doing it for more than 20 years. I've moved into sport recently after covering the education round for the last five plus years for the Illawarra Mercury. It's been a great pleasure.
Wollongong born and bred. I love reporting about the Illawarra region and have been doing it for more than 20 years. I've moved into sport recently after covering the education round for the last five plus years for the Illawarra Mercury. It's been a great pleasure.
