Allan Matheson Shield | Gallery | Shepparton Park confirms finals berth with strong win at Stanhope

Its seventh win of the season, Shepparton Park was clinical in its approach, winning three of the four rinks to ensure it did not fall victim to an upset against a dangerous Stanhope.

Now in a position where it has three weeks to prepare for a first final, Park team manager Ash Williamson said it was a relief to have a spot in the top four locked up.

“It’s a nice position to be in, having a spot in the finals locked in three weeks out from the first week of finals,” Williamson said.

“Stanhope has been a bit of a bogey venue for us in years past, we’ve gone over there a few times and been expected to win on ladder position and come back empty handed.

“Looking at the results from the Friday night games we knew a win would all but cement our spot in the finals, so we talked about not dwelling on the past and having a positive approach which definitely seemed to pay off in the end result.”

The victory was set up by a pair of Pauls, with Warren and Nichols orchestrating a pair of dominant wins in rinks one and two.

Nichols was particularly impressive, quelling the influence of star Lions skip Hayden Crilly in rink two to record a crucial 33-18 victory.

“We were pretty well level at the halfway point, so we had a chat at the halfway point and said the scores reset now, and it was Paul Warren and Paul Nichols that really stood up in the finish,” Williamson said of the performances of the two skips.

“Paul Nichols’ rink especially was so important for us, they won the last eight ends against Hayden Crilly’s rink which was vital.

“While Paul Warren was just in control all day and just kept getting better, so to have those guys stand up it was just massive for us.”

Park will now shift into preparation mode for the final three weeks of the home and away season as it gears up for a finals assault.

And with battles against top contenders Shepparton Golf and Tallygaroopna on the agenda, Williamson said it would be a good chance to get a gauge of where it is truly at.

“We have got Golf next week at our place, so that will be a really good test leading into the finals,” he said.

“We haven’t beaten anyone above us yet, but we have shown we are a fair way ahead of the sides below us, so the key for us now is to really try and bridge that gap between us and the top three.”

Elsewhere, Shepparton Golf welcomed the debut of its lights in stunning fashion on Friday as it absolutely annihilated Tatura-Hill Top 18-123 to 0-57 in front of a raucous home crowd.

Bouncing back from its loss to Kyabram the previous week, coach Brett Foley led from the front with a dominant 34-15 win in rink one, while his teammates followed suit to sweep the rinks in what was a stark reminder that Shepparton Golf is still top dog.

But while Golf’s efforts were impressive, they were trumped by reigning premier Tallygaroopna which destroyed East Shepparton 18-143 to 0-57 under the Friday night lights at Shepparton Park.

Kyabram rounded out the winners’ list with a convincing 18-115 to 0-76 win at Mooroopna to maintain its position in second spot.