Grand Final miracle as PEGS claim Division 1 flag

Brin Duggan – @BrinDuggan

Regardless of age, sport, or level of competition, there is not a more electrifying experience than playing in a Grand Final. Every Grand Final, regardless of result, is typified by the big moments; the split second decisions that illustrate the character of those involved, ultimately inspiring the people around them to follow suit.

A face-off between the two best sides of 2017, both of which are stacked with Division 1 guns, was always going to be littered with these “defining moments”. With Manny Dolan and Dan Ryan at one end and Adrian Romanyk and Trent Skurrie at the other, fans were in for a treat.

The men in green tasked with the contest were Jackson Gillespie, Hamish McCartney, Marcus Middleton, Luke Ross-Smith, Kevin Segota, Dominic Napoli and Matthew Gough. What a great job they’ve done all year!

The battle of the acronyms started with SMS kicking with the breeze. The Saints were playing in their first Grand Final since 2014, and they were out to make a amends for that day – and make a statement they did! Within four minutes, they had their first through Dan Ryan;  Then Luke Dykes added three of his own … in a row. SMS were on fire and PEGS were struggling to get their hands on the ball. Midfield bull, Tim Dudgeon, was restricting any PEGS clearance work with his ferocious tackling and he was finding the ball with ease. Add two more miraculous goals, another from Dykes and one from Charlie Angley, and it did not seem like the Bombers day. The dangerous Adrian Romanyk was being well held by Jacob Kenyon and what forward entries PEGS did have were being rebounded with aplomb, setting up countless counter attacks. At quarter time, SMS had flown out of the gates to open up a 49-point lead. The spectators at Box Hill City Oval were shell shocked.

Kicking with the breeze in the second quarter, PEGS had a mountain of work ahead of them. One of their stars, Cam Livori, was rubbed out mid-week while fellow gun, Tylar Vujanic, went down in the third minute of the second quarter. Trent Skurrie snared their first goal not long after to ease some pressure and pain and Hugh Schiavello soccered one off the ground in the square five minutes later, controversially patting his opponent on the head after, but the disappointment was still palpable. Despite a good PEGS start, St Mary’s snared three goals in a row and blew their lead out to 57 points with 18 minutes played in the second quarter. A fizzer was on the cards. Dudgeon continued to dominate, Manny Dolan was his usual superstar self and Juan Perriam was getting his fingerprints all over this one. Though, PEGS continued to battle through and were kept in it by the tireless work of gun ruckman, Robert Baddeley, and silky smooth leader Brad Jones. Down but not out, the Bombers refused to give in. Jones, assisted by two Tom Black goals and tireless defensive efforts from Andrew Khallouf chipped away at the Saints lead, and dominance, to bring the score to a somewhat manageable 35-points entering the main break.

The 2014 Grand Final that SMS played in saw their opponents race out to a six goal lead at quarter time to kick just one goal for the rest of the game, the Saints came all day but eventually lost that one by 11 points. Perhaps this was playing on their minds as PEGS snared the first of the third to reduce the lead to 29. The belief for PEGS was now palpable and SMS began to falter. Dudgeon was still throwing his body at every stoppage or loose ball, Kenyon continued to hold Romanyk down and Charlie Angley had leather poisoning. But SMS had too few contributors. PEGS were on top in the middle with Baddeley winning most hit outs convincingly and their own Dan Ryan getting clearance after clearance. PEGS snagged their second after four minutes and this game was up in the air. Another goal two minutes later made it three in a row and the PEGS crowd was in raptures. Despite leading, SMS were on the back foot and without Manny Dolan they would’ve been in bigger trouble. He managed two goals in a row to give the Saints some breathing space but a late PEGS goal had their belief at its peak. The siren sounded with the score reading; SMS 14.6- 90 to PEGS 12.7- 79.

Kicking with the wind in the last, PEGS were going to take some stopping. A difficult task considering the impenetrability of backline duo Andrew Khallouf and James Lenhart. They thwarted the early Saints assault and pushed their side forward for the first goal of the quarter, cutting the lead to four. The next 18 minutes of the game were tight and tense. Dudgeon continued his contested ball assault but he was matched by PEGS hard man, Jarryd Rogers. The Bombers continually threatened the goal face but SMS stood strong on the backs of Harry Angley, Alex Bussell and Kyle Duerden. Then, the deadlock was broken through a long range Schiavello goal. PEGS finally jumped out to a one-goal lead after peppering the scoreboard without a major. SMS fought as hard as they could but they were shattered by the Baddeley and Khallouf dominance. Brad Jones and Dan Ryan stopped the Saints from getting too much of the ball and when Jones topped off his outstanding performance with a goal that put the Bombers 13 points up, the cheers rang loud and true. SMS were done and PEGS had completed a 70-point turn around to pull off one of the most miraculous Grand Final comebacks in VAFA history.

Heartbreak for the Saints who were gallant in defeat, but they clearly fired their shots too early. PEGS never gave up and left nothing on the field in victory. Robert Baddeley was rightfully awarded the J.W. Manton Medal as the best player on the field after an outstanding finals series. A brilliant game topping off an exceptional and exciting Division 1 season.

Looking on to next season now, and we wish PEGS and SMS all the best in Premier C –  a huge step for both clubs. We also bid farewell to the two relegated sides, Whitefriars and St John’s, who we’ll be seeing back in Division 1 soon enough, I’m sure. 2018 in Division 1 will also welcome in four new clubs: Hampton Rovers and Kew AFC, who are coming down from Premier C, and Prahran Assumption and West Brunswick, coming up from Division 2. It’s sure to be another competitive and entertaining year, so make sure you stay involved and up to date. Until then, thank you for being an excellent audience and enjoy the off-season!