REVENGE is a dish best served cold, and the Murrabit reserves have waited three years to get their retribution on Wandella.
In the Golden Rivers Football Netball League 2019 grand final, Wandella defeated the Blues and, due to COVID-19, it took until Saturday for the Blues to get another crack at the Bombers on the biggest stage.
They made up for lost time by defeating the Bombers 12.7.79 to 8.8.56.
“It felt like complete relief,” Blues skipper Nicholas Hein told The Guardian. “This one has been burning for a while after our loss to them in 2019.
“These boys are a ripping bunch of blokes who’ve all been hurting since that day, so to have our redemption is pretty sweet.
“There are guys in this team that will never play senior football, and those blokes deserve to win a flag as much as the senior blokes, so I’m just so happy for them.”
It hasn’t been an easy year for Hein and his men, who at times were decimated by the needs of the senior side.
This just made their triumph all the more pleasing.
“We’ve been through a lot this year,” Hein said.
“We’ve been pretty depleted at times with our seniors taking five players every week, so to be able to finish top two was a massive effort.
“We’ve had 40 blokes come through our side this year, and if it weren’t for them, we wouldn’t be here right now, so this win is as much about them as the 22 men out there today.”
The Blues won the crucial toss and kicked with the wind in the first quarter.
This helped them take a 27-point lead into the first change.
Brody Green began a fantastic match, nailing the opening goal and adding another before the siren.
Green was everywhere and ended with four goals, including two spectacular finishes in the third quarter that will live long in the memory of the Blues’ fans.
Green and Tom Copland, who was named best afield, were clearly the best two players on the ground, and Hein heaped plenty of praise on his stars.
“Both of them are seniors boys, but luckily enough, they qualified,” Hein said.
“Greeny has been at the club for quite a while and he travels from Melbourne weekly.
“Just having those two senior footy-experienced blokes in our team is huge and the likes of Josh Bray, Simon Morton as well just that little bit of experience goes a long way.
“These blokes have worked their backsides off all year, and I hands-down think we have got the best skills for a twos side in the league.”
The Blues’ experience shone through for most of the second quarter as both sides toiled hard for little effort.
The Bombers got back into the game with three late goals, which left them two goals down at the main break.
This was as close as they got as the Blues ran over the top of a tiring Bombers outfit in the third quarter, kicking six goals to two.
The Bombers tried hard in the last quarter but left it too late, falling 23 points short.
“It’s a pretty good feeling,” Hein said.
“I played in three senior premierships, but this is my first in the reserves, and as a coach, it’s really special.”
UNDER 17.5
HAY confirmed themselves as the best team in the competition, defeating Ultima 12.20.92 to 6.7.43.
The Lions’ poor kicking kept the Roos in the contest for far longer than they would have preferred, but there was no doubt who the best side was.
Jensen Hargreaves, the competition’s leading goalkicker, capped off a fantastic season when he was voted best afield.
He was joined by Jack Tapper, competition best-and-fairest Daniel Stewart and Jack Headon, who kicked five as the Lions’ best on the day.
It wasn’t all smooth sailing for the Lions who took an 11-point buffer into half-time.
Roos star Quinn Grey tried his hardest to keep his side in the match early in the third quarter, but it wasn’t enough as the Lions kicked eight goals to one for the quarter in a scintillating display that left them 59 points up at the three-quarter time break.
Darcy Farrell kicked two goals in as many minutes for the Roos early in the final term, but that was as good as it got for his side, who faltered in the final minutes.
UNDER 14.5
WANDELLA capped off the perfect season on Saturday with a 6.10.46 to 0.4.4 victory over Murrabit.
The Bombers went through the season undefeated and were clearly the superior outfit on the day.
Archer Lancaster, Zac Mellington and Laing Waddingham were among the best for the Bombers, who controlled the match from outset with three goals to zero in the first quarter.
The Bombers’ defence was fantastic, keeping the Blues goalless.
Riley Carse tried hard for the Blues, but it wasn’t enough to stop the Bombers.
