Old Scotch wins Premier Men’s flag for first time in 46 years!

A glorious Melbourne afternoon turned into a perfect one for the Cardinals, who ended their 46-year top-flight premiership drought in fine style.

More than 3,500 fans packed Elsternwick Park on a beautiful Friday afternoon in anticipation of a tight, tough premiership decider – and they witnessed exactly that.

First Quarter

Old Scotch won the toss and kicked to the Glen Huntly Road end with a 2-goal breeze at their back.

As they did in the Preliminary Final, the Cardinals got away to a flying start, with two Charlie Cormack interceptions setting up a James Tarrant set shot goal in the opening 90 seconds, then a James Polkinghorne goal from close range a minute later to hand Old Scotch the early initiative before the Tonners had a chance to settle.

Those opening couple of minutes represented much of the first quarter’s flow. Brighton was winning its fair share of inside ball (+3 Clearances), but Scotch was well set up and controlled proceedings with its impenetrable intercept game, led by Cormack, who racked up 9 first-quarter disposals, 5 Inside 50s, and 3 Score Assists to be clearly the most influential player on the ground.

The Tonners were gifted their first goal at the 11-minute mark when Cardinal veteran Doug Lawrence marked deep in defence, took on the man on the mark, got stripped and allowed impressive youngster Jonah Campigli to swoop in and snap Brighton’s opening major.

But despite the Tonners working hard defensively, it was Scotch dominating territory—17 inside 50s to 8 in the opening stanza—and their intense pressure repeatedly forced Brighton into errors and turnovers, which were suitably punished.

The Cards would boot the final 2 goals of the quarter – both from turnovers – to head to the first change with a handy 19-point lead and an incredible 25 of their 27 points having come directly from Tonner turnovers.

Qtr Time:   Old Scotch 4.3 (27)   Old Brighton 1.2 (8)

The Tonners had the advantage of the breeze in the second term and started superbly when Jamie Hope was clipped high and found his radar, snapping a set-shot goal from the pocket in the opening 75 seconds to set the tone for early Brighton dominance as they peppered the Cardinal defence.

But it would be a tale of wasted opportunities as the Tonners racked up the Inside 50s (18-7 for the term) but failed to take advantage, the Tonners adding 4 behinds before the Cards counter-punched with slick end-to-end transition down the outer side to find an unattended Ollie Badr on the goal-line and re-establish a 16-point lead.

But the Tonners kept pressing and hit straight back with 2 goals in 90 seconds as Sam Collins coolly slotted a set shot, followed by stand-in skipper Tom Fisher sliding in bravely to mark 45 metres out and drilling another to set the Brighton crowd alight as the margin shrunk to 4 points at the 13-minute mark.

Suddenly, the Grand Final opened up and scoring flowed more freely over the next 20 minutes of pulsating high-stakes footy as the big crowd heaved and buzzed to the rhythm of the game.

Scotch regained control on the scoreboard through a 50-metre penalty against Tom Fisher for encroachment that handed James Tarrant his third goal at the 16-minute mark before Jamie Hope hit the post from 3 metres out at the other end as the Tonners’ fans rued another missed opportunity that they hoped wouldn’t ultimately prove costly.

Scotch defender Doug Lawrence pulled in a huge grab and received a 50-metre penalty for encroachment, which brought him within 50 metres of goal. His pass found the dangerous Ryan Valentine in the pocket and the big man stepped out, improved the angle and kicked his second goal to increase Scotch’s lead back out to 15 points at the 21-minute mark.

Brighton needed a response to ensure the Cards wouldn’t slip away before the major break and they got an immediate one when they surged forward from the centre bounce and Sam Collins gathered the crumb to kick his second from point-blank range.

When Will Lewis laced out Jonah Campigli and he duly converted from 40 metres out, the Tonners were back within 2 points and had all the momentum as the Cards threw a seventh defender behind the ball to steady the ship.

But it was Scotch surging forward and a short period of intense forward pressure led to a ball-up at the top of the goal-square and when Will Clark ripped it out of the ruck and snapped a clever goal, the Cards had once again edged out beyond a goal in front.

The two teams headed to the major break shortly after, following a brilliant first half of Grand Final footy in an electric atmosphere at VAFA HQ.

The Tonners headed to the rooms feeling great about their territorial dominance (18-7 Inside 50s for the quarter) but not so good about their wasteful finishing (6.10 for the half, including 5.8 for the term).

While the Cardinals were buoyed by their ability to absorb an enormous amount of pressure and still retain their slender 7-point lead.

Half Time:   Old Scotch 8.5 (53)   Old Brighton 6.10 (46)               

With the breeze easing ever so slightly, it was imperative that the Cards made the most of it after half-time, knowing that the Tonners might be able to take advantage in the last quarter if they left points on the table.

But it was Brighton who locked the footy in their front half for the first couple of minutes and received an early reward when Nick Pavlou pounced on a bobbling ball to run into an open goal and tie the scores for the first time since the opening 90 seconds of the game.

Was this the minor premiers about to flex their muscle and finally take control of a game they’d been threatening to seize hold of, or could the Cardinals find the answers once again?

The next 15 minutes turned out to be high-pressure goal-for-goal football as both sides strived to snatch control.

A Tom Yorgey switch kick deep in defence was intercepted for Ryan Valentine to boot his third, before the ubiquitous Jordie Segar responded 4 minutes later to draw the Tonners back within a point at the 10-minute mark.

But try as they might, the Tonners couldn’t find that extra goal to put them in front for the first time. The next strike belonged to James Tarrant, who was blocked in a ruck contest and roosted it straight through the middle from 47 metres out to restore the Cards’ one-kick lead at the 15-minute mark.

Brighton was controlling the tempo of general play with a mass of uncontested marks but couldn’t find an avenue to goal. So, when Will Clark plucked a great mark and slammed through a steadying goal for Scotch 23 minutes in, it was very much against the run of play and a momentum-sapper for the Tonners.

The Cardinals’ belief grew even further when they forced the Brighton defence into coughing it up on the goal-line 3 minutes later. Will Clark thundered through and slammed home another from the goal-line to make it a 17-point game – vital, given the Tonners’ would come home with the aid of the breeze in the final term.

Old Scotch had absorbed everything Old Brighton could throw at them through the first three quarters. Could they do it again with the premiership on the line in the last?

3-Quarter Time:   Old Scotch 12.8 (80)   Old Brighton 8.14 (62)    

          

The general consensus was that Brighton needed the first goal of the last term to get their motor running, so when Jamie Hope swooped onto a quick kick that cleared the pack, his swivel and snap reduced the deficit to 12 points and a surge of energy went around Elsternwick Park in anticipation of a grandstand finish.

But, as they’d done all afternoon, the Cardinals had the answer when challenged and little more than a minute later, the rapid response came via some individual brilliance from James Polkinghorne, who intercepted Elliott Avis’ looping handball, sprinted to the right forward pocket and looped a 20-metre handball over the top to Cooper Lean, who snapped the quick reply from the top of the goalsquare.

The next 12 minutes were tense as the Tonners strived to find a way back from 3 goals down, while the Cardinals searched for the knockout blow.

It finally came at the 15-minute mark when Ryan Valentine, who had been a major headache for Brighton all afternoon, marked and goaled at the top of the goalsquare to make it a 23-point margin.

That made it 11 of Old Scotch’s 14 goals from their talls – Valentine’s 4.4, along with 4 from James Tarrant and another 3 from Will Clark – and that was ultimately the difference between the two teams.

At the end of the day, the Cardinals took enough of their chances, while the Tonners wasted too many of theirs.

The minor premiers would finish with 27 scoring shots to 25 but fall 18 points short of their first Premier Men’s flag as Old Scotch celebrated their first in 46 years and their second in 9 long decades of near misses.

Ryan Valentine received the Jock Nelson Medal for best afield as tears flowed freely amongst the long-suffering Cardinals faithful, washing away decades of disappointment on an unforgettable afternoon at Elsternwick Park.

Old Scotch 14.11 (95)
Old Brighton 10.17 (77)

BEST: Old Scotch: Ryan Valentine, Andy Jelbart, Ben Hays, James Tarrant, Sam Grant & Charlie Cormack.
Old Brighton: Max Lohan, Sam Collins, Sam Flockart, Elliott Avis, Alfie Jarnestrom & Jamie Hope.
GOALS: Old Scotch: Ryan Valentine & James Tarrant 4,  Will Clark 3, Ollie Badr, Cooper Lean & Jack Polkinghorne.
Old Brighton: Jonah Campigli, Sam Collins, James Hope & Nick Pavlou 2, Tom Fisher & Jordie Segar.

Mark Gnatt (Old Scotch): “First and foremost, it was a great showcase of VAFA football and that’s full credit to both teams. Brighton are such a proud club and have outstanding players.

“It was a really competitive game with momentum swings. We had our chances & they had theirs. It was neck and neck all day, which was enjoyable for the spectators but stressful for the coaches!

“I thought our structure was really important, especially our team defensive structure, which kept us in the game. Charlie Cormack’s first quarter was outstanding and it was he and our other backs that set up so many of our scoring opportunities.

“Our defensive pressure and ability to force Brighton into long-range shots was important. We forced them into a lot of long points.

“We missed our share of gettable goals too but ultimately, I felt like we took our moments, which is something that we didn’t do in a Semi Final 12 months ago. That has been a massive part of our growth, which has come through experiencing big games & learning to rise to the big moments when they’re there.

“We felt that we could get an advantage in our front half – if not talls, then our smalls, who have been dangerous right throughout the finals.

“The ruck battle was vital and Sam Grant was outstanding at giving us first use and also getting back to support our defenders. His work in the stoppages allowed our midfielders to give our big forwards 1-on-1 opportunities before Brighton could get numbers back to set up. We made the most of that and took 12 marks Inside 50 from 51 entries.

“After the game, I told our group that this was the People’s Premiership. This was about our volunteers, who are the backbone of every local club. So many great people have contributed so much to this club over the last 46 years.

“My coaching group has been exceptional, as are our fitness & medical staff, the President and GM, our volunteers – everyone’s played their role.

“This win was much bigger than for just our current group. We’re the custodians of the jumper at moment, but this is about our greater community.

“We took great inspiration from our girls’ winning the Premier Women’s premiership last week. That was a really good club moment and reinforced to us that it’s never just about the 22 on the day. It means so much to so many more people out there.

“It’s a bit surreal, to be honest. The magnitude of the achievement is still sinking in.

“I was more emotional after the Preliminary Final, when I teared up. I did again briefly on Friday but there was also this sense of relief. You put so much into it and then it’s ‘Hey, we’ve done it.’

“It is everything you hope it will be but with so many mixed emotions. I was really conscious of winning with humility & being respectful of our opposition & the entire competition.

“Overall, it’s been a great experience that we’ll all remember for the rest of our lives.”

Marcel Bruin (Old Brighton): “Not the result we were hoping for, so it definitely stings but I am incredibly proud of the year our group put together.

“We congratulate Mark and his group. They brought a great intensity to the game with lots of pressure and were able to execute sharply. Their big boys had such an influence across the game and across the lines and were the difference.

“It was a great opportunity to play in the final game of the year, which takes a tremendous amount of hard work, effort and some luck to earn a spot, and whilst we didn’t finish it off, we are very excited about the position our program is in with lots of talent and a real desire and motivation to drive success.”