Back to back baby!
This was always going to be a fight for the ages. A Golden Plains Shire showdown!
The form that our boys had from the 2 previous rounds of finals showed they meant business, they knew they were in with a shot. Inverleigh were touted to be the winners and deservedly so after they dismantled our boys in the first round of finals and took the game on against minor premiers, East Geelong, but there was an air of belief from those closest to the group.
Our boys ran onto the the ground with a “anything is possible” attitude. With arms linked, they were presented the premiership cup by Auskicker Tanner Lynch and eyed off their Inverleigh opponents as the national anthem was played.
It was a very even affair in the 1st quarter. Both teams having chances to keep a clean score sheet, but nothing could really separate them. It was a hard, physical 1st term, with Inverleigh leading by 1pt.
The 2nd term was different. Inverleigh came out firing and peppered the goals, kicking 3.4 of which 2-3 of those points should have resulted in goals. They kept our lads to 1.1 to lead by 10pts into the half time break.
Our lads going into the break knew they needed to change and hit the contest hard, and this is what they did. Holding Inverleigh to 3pts, our lads came out firing and returned fire kicking 3.4 of which a couple of those points, too could have been goals. This changed the game and allowed us to have a 9 point led into the last.
At the 3 quarter break it was a powerful moment when Ronnie “Ron Dog” Pilgrim pulled the players together in a tight huddle. The board showed “How and Why”. He reminded the players of the connection the boys had, their mateship and that they were doing this for each other. He encouraged attacking footy, taking the game away from Inverleigh. “Pains not there when you win a game of footy, particularly not the biggest one that counts”.
This is where the game took a spectacular turn. No one could have predicted the final term would be an 81 point quarter with 13 goals kicked between the two sides and it was one of the most amazing contests anyone had seen.
We were able to get a couple of quick goals through Spiller and Peters, but undeterred, Inverleigh struck back in quick, hard hitting fashion , bringing the game back to a couple of points.
After that it was basically goal for goal, with both teams playing attacking football. Our pressure in the middle was intense, tackling like we hadn’t all year. We added a couple more goals to get out to what looked like an unbeatable lead , only to have Inverleigh strike from the centre in a masterstroke taking approx. 18 secs from ball up to goal. The game was on again.
Both teams desperate for the win, tired bodies littered the field, but some of the best footy being played in the dying seconds. The final siren sounded at the 32 minute mark, with us victors by 4 points. BACK TO BACK CHAMPIONS.
The importance of this win is not lost on anybody. Once again we have shown the GDFNL what we are made of. The Tiger spirit is never fiercer than on the biggest day of the year.
Across on the netball courts we had a cracking start to the day. With the weather not 100% sure on what it was going to do in the morning, our U13 ladies knew exactly what was needing to be done.
Coming up against a determined Corio, ready to atone for there first loss in the finals, the game was hot. Both sides were a little flustered in the 1st, but our ladies were able to settle the nerves early, jumping Corio to hold a small lead. The ladies looked like they could not be stopped, moving the ball around the court freely to extend the lead at the half.
That was where the game ended for Corio. Getting frustrated, they made some critical errors, allowing our girls to add to the scoreboard resulting in a significant lead of which Corio could not come back from. Final siren sounding, our ladies, Grand Final winners, 21 to 12 over Corio. .
Next was our U15 ladies. They were playing league leaders East Geelong. East jumped our ladies early and held the court well, suffocating our drives and forcing turnovers. Our ladies were never able to get going. We had a couple of chances to bring the deficit back in but were not able to. The ladies fought all game, but East Geelong were just too strong across the court. Some changes made, but they were not enough, with East Geelong running away winners, 29 to 10. A valiant effort by our ladies. They should hold their head high making the GF and proving to everyone they are a force.
Next was our undefeated U17’s. Pressure they took well coming into the GF and it was going to be theirs to lose. If our girls settled early, they were going to be hard to catch, but it was East that started well and had the jump on us. Our ladies fought back to be within a couple and after the half, our ladies started to fire up, putting the pressure on East. A few decisions not going our way and getting caught in defence, East skipped away in the 3rd and pulled away further in the last. East opened enough of a gap that we could not come back from. East winning, 32 to 20. Our ladies valiant in defeat, but this one hurt. They are the team to beat and if they stick together, a force to be reckoned with in the future.
