SATURDAY will be a bittersweet day for residents of Quambatook.
On one hand, it promises to be one of the great nights in the town’s history, but on the other, there is nothing harder in life than saying goodbye.
This weekend will be their beloved football team’s last home game before the club folds at the end of the season.
But the Saints aren’t going to go out without a bang – the club has organised a night of celebrations, music, beer and catch-ups to say farewell.
“We’re planning on having a reunion for all past and present players,” club president Rhys Carmichael said.
“After the game, Elise Drake and Endangered Species will play late into the night.
“Then on Sunday, we’ve got a panel, so a few of the boys will review the game, and we’ll have horse lotto, which will be good.”
While the day is a reunion for all former club members, it will be extra-special for the 1997 premiership players, with this year marking 25 years since their triumph.
Dean Bremner played that day, and he and his teammates can’t wait to regale people with stories of times gone by.
“I’ve got in touch with quite a few – unfortunately, a lot of them are away, but we might get two-thirds of them here, so if we can get that, it would be great,” he said.
“We have had a few funerals throughout the year, so a few have been home, but it would be terrific to catch up with them in an enjoyable setting.”
Carmichael told The Guardian “there are not many people that aren’t going to be here”.
“We have a lot of people who moved down to Melbourne, but the caravan park is full, so I think a lot of them are coming back up, and there’ll be quite an influx of people into the community.
“It’s going to be big – everyone is looking forward to it – I’m predicting it’s going to be a pretty wild night.”
The 1997 win was the last taste of the ultimate success for the Saints.
However, hopes are high to break the drought this season, with the senior side sitting second on the ladder.
Head coach Tim Free is trying to keep his men focused on the task at hand but realises it’s hard not to get caught up in the emotion of the big day.
“There’s been plenty of talk around the club for a while now, and we are pretty excited to be a part of it,” Free said.
“We’ve got enough to play for and at stake over the next month of footy, though, so I think the players don’t need any external motivation to perform.
“We’ve been relatively focused on the job, but I’m sure Saturday night will be a time to reflect with present and past supporters.
“People will be emotional about the occasion, but for us, were very aware of what we need to do, and we’ll represent the club as best we can by getting a win on the board.”
The Saints will face Macorna, which early in the season agreed to swap games and allow the final round to be Quambatook’s last game at their home.
However, a quirk in the finals fixture means this isn’t the Saints’ final home game – their semi-final against Nullawil is locked in to be played in Quambatook.
“It will be the last time we’re all together with netball and reserves playing on the same day – our reserves won’t make finals,” Carmichael said.
It promises to be a day of mixed emotions for many, with the magnitude of the situation still yet to dawn on Carmichael.
“For me, it hasn’t quite sunk in yet because things have been crazy lately.
“I reckon it will probably hit a few people when we run out on the ground for the last time.”
Bremner said: “It will be bittersweet even during the year I’ve been sitting at home on a Sunday feeling flat wondering what I’m going to do next year.”
The Saints will look to bounce back into form after they were thrashed by a red-hot Nullawil last weekend – especially considering that is who they’ll be facing in the second semi-final.
“We got comprehensively outplayed on the weekend, and while that’s not ideal, we understand the bigger picture and get to take them on again in three weeks,” Free said.
“There’ll be personal changes that play a part in that, but we’ll need to improve the way we go about it to compete with them under the intensity of finals football.”
