KERANG will go into their third straight grand final full of confidence following Saturday’s come-from-behind 19-point win over the Mallee Eagles.
Having entered their previous two deciders via the preliminary final, the Blues earned themselves an extra week off following their 17.7 (109) to 13.12 (90) win on Saturday, with Kerang coach Troy Coates praising his team’s performance after a lacklustre opening quarter.
“I don’t like to give the boys a bake very often but it was warranted on the weekend,” Coates said post-match.
“We were just flat.
“Whether it was the week off or not, they were running all over us, and we’re a running team.
“We didn’t want to push or spread and we just came out on our heels a little bit.
“As a coach you’d love to know the solution as to why some games you’re up and about straight away and others you’re flat, but every team faces that challenge when you win and get straight in and now we’ll have to face it in a fortnight’s time.
“There are benefits both ways to having the week off.
“You rest and freshen up and don’t have injuries, but the other side of it is that you often come in flat.
“But we’ll find a way to motivate the boys so they’re up and about on grand final day.”
Next Saturday will be Coates’ 18th senior grand final as a player, 20 years after his first as a member of Kerang’s 2004 premiership team.
For Coates and several teammates, it will also be his last, with the veteran coach having already announced his intention to step down as coach of the Blues at the end of the season, with the end of an era of dominance now appearing on the horizon according to the six-time Kerang premiership coach.
“I think Saturday showed what it means, not just to myself but a lot of the older boys within our squad,” Coates said.
“There’s a lot of guys who are potentially playing their last season of football, either at the club or altogether.
“We don’t have to talk about it but we know deep down that our group is going to change a lot next year and we’re just such close mates that we really want to finish on a high note together.
“I remember Shawn Filo telling me 20 years ago that you blink your eyes and your footy is done and now I’m in that position myself.
“I just said to the boys to really enjoy the next two weeks, take it in and make the most of it, because it finishes pretty quickly and this era at Kerang, with this amazing group that we’ve had for such a long period of time, is unfortunately slowly coming to an end.
“We’re just really keen to finish in a high note.
“It’s exciting for us.
“We’ve had such a local group of guys too – that’s one of the things I’m proud of the most.”
Saturday’s performance over the Eagles only served to confirm everyone’s suspicions that the Blues are still the team to beat, especially after fighting back from 16 points down at half-time.
It was no surprise to Coates, with his team’s resilience in the face of adversity one of the traits he will miss the most when the final siren sounds on grand final day.
“I said at the end of Saturday’s game that I’m just so proud,” Coates said.
“Year after year we get tested, and just our will to win, we have competitive beasts who never say die.
“We had a bit of a theme on the weekend: it was centred around our will to win and if we all come with the same sort of effort and will to win that Marty Kelly and Tyson Clingan do, then we’ll get over the line.
“I just reiterated our fitness and the work we’ve put in over the year and even the last six or eight weeks.
“We knew that if we could stick with them, our running game would come into it in the second half.”
Kerang will go into the grand final against either the Mallee Eagles or NNW United at close to full strength, with Coates also confirming that midfielder Adam Baird is expected to be passed fit from his hamstring strain suffered against the Eagles in round 17.
