VAFA fend off Bendigo in extra-time classic

The word of the weekend as the VAFA celebrated the Centenary Year of the Big V was ‘heightened’. 

It’s a word that could be used to describe a host of details, small and large, across the weekend: the festivities of the Big V Gala at Centrepiece, Melbourne Park; the special gold trim of the football jumpers those chosen to represent the Association wore in matches; or the broadcast from Sportscover Arena, Elsternwick Park, on Saturday afternoon.

On and off the field, the significance of representative football was presented through four high-quality games of football, showcasing the best the VAFA has to offer to all and sundry.

It was fitting, then, that the most heightened game of football of the weekend was the final one. For the second time in three years, a game of Big V football went to extra time to decide the result – and like it was in 2023 for the Big V Senior Men against the Perth Football League, the VAFA came out on top.

The Big V Premier B – Division 3 team took on the Bendigo Football Netball League’s representative team at the picturesque Queen Elizabeth Oval in central Bendigo, searching for consecutive victories after staving off the Bendigo side in last year’s match at Elsternwick Park.

Kicking first with a healthy breeze to the Bendigo City End, the VAFA side took charge in a first quarter littered with highlights, booting seven goals to three and wowing a vocal crowd with fluid overlap run, breezy movement between the arcs and classy finishing from the likes of Bailey Payze and Matt Fewings.

With a 26-point quarter time lead, the day looked to be a bountiful one. But the Ammos would kick just three more goals over the next three quarters.

“Bendigo definitely got the better of us, I think, through the second and third quarter,” explained skipper Cal Linehan, speaking on Tuesday afternoon on the official podcast of the Ammos, For The Love of the Game.

“Our contest and probably just our entry inside 50 started to fall away, which was probably on the back of Bendigo’s efforts around the footy – more pressure on the ball carrier, that sort of thing.

“The rain set in and probably evened it up a bit in the last quarter, which probably played in our favour.”

The wind would die slightly after half time, but as twilight arrived, increasingly heavy rain began to fall, adding an extra dimension to the contest. Bendigo forwards Cobi Maxted, Fergus Greene and Michael Hartley were an ever-present threat, and it took remarkable defensive efforts from Linehan, Fitzroy’s Darcy Lowrie, Preston’s Luke Green and West Brunswick’s Ben Ablett to hold the blue-and-gold at bay.

Lowrie’s job on the imperturbable Greene was stellar. The pair were often isolated one-on-one on inside the forward 50, and despite the former Hawk and Bulldog threatening to tear the game to shreds on numerous occasions, Lowrie was textbook in his positioning and consistent in his effort, integral in keeping the VAFA in the contest as Bendigo pressed.

And while Lowrie was miserly, Linehan was inspirational, in everything from the last line, lunging to repel forays forward from the Bendigo midfielders, steaming through waves of tackles to clear the area, and crucially laying a goal-saving tackle in the fourth quarter’s breathless final minutes.

“I think in that fourth quarter we’d been under siege for a very long time,” Linehan said.

“That tackle was probably one that stood out, but there were so many from other blokes as well. Blokes were just jumping on grenades, trying to kill the ball or trying to get another ball-up, that sort of thing.”

Only two goals would be kicked in the final term, one apiece, as both teams missed opportunities in front of goal under the Queen Elizabeth Oval lights. With the scores at 68 apiece, the final siren sounded to cries of incredulity from those in attendance – two five-minute (plus time-on) periods of extra time were to follow.

Both teams were out on their feet – but it was the Big V that adjusted best. Bailey Payze’s astonishing finish in the opening minutes of extra time set the tone, Linehan laid another fairytale goal-saving tackle at the other end, and in the second five-minute period, Old Camberwell’s Jimmy Allen coolly slotted the sealing goal from a set shot.

Bendigo did not kick a goal in the bonus periods, the VAFA eventually victors, 12.9 (81) to 9.17 (71).

“(The feeling at the end of extra time) was probably just one of relief, to be honest,” said Linehan.

“It’d been such a hectic 15-20 minutes of footy. By the time we got into the rooms, it was just pure joy. Everyone was hugging and everything like that. I don’t reckon I’ve seen a bunch of blokes that excited in a very long time.”

In one of the great local football duels, Williamstown CYMS’ Jordan Busuttil for the VAFA and Sandhurst’s Lachie Tardrew for Bendigo went head-to-head on-ball, both wearing the number 14 and compelling the eyes of the sizeable crowd.

While Tardrew ran hard, flat lines at the football on his way to 45 disposals and the Derrick Filo Medal – awarded to the best Bendigo representative on the ground – Busuttil danced and skated, blue-and-white flitting through blue-and-gold, undeniable in his pursuit of the ball and certain with it in hand.

The back-to-back Williamstown CYMS best-and-fairest winner is quick, smart and strong, adept in tight, then again post-clearance, then again at the next contest. After quarter time, the seasoned Bendigo bodies pursued Busuttil more keenly through the maze of limbs – occasionally finding their mark – in an attempt to chop down the pace of his dizzying transition from handball exit to handball chain. 

Bar Tardrew, Busuttil was peerless, best afield with 32 disposals, 20 contested possessions, 10 clearances, nine tackles, a goal and a game-high 174 Premier Data ranking points.

“(Busuttil) was just unreal,” said Linehan.

“In the early stages of the game, I think he was one that really stood up – and then in extra time, he was just dominant.

“He was moving around like it was still the first quarter… I’ve played against him plenty of times in the past, so it was nice to have him on my team for once, and not be chasing him around the ground.”

The spring of Old Geelong’s Mickey Nicholls, employed down-the-line by coach Luke Mahoney, did not diminish through four quarters (and a bit more) of football, whilst running mate inside 50, Old Peninsula’s Bailey Payze, was an ever-present danger. 

Payze’s first goal, an opportunistic rolling left-foot snap, set forward the Big V’s first-quarter momentum; his second, an audacious running right-footed checkside that followed a rove that would make Stevie Johnson blush, stunning the vocal Bendigo contingent of the crowd, enrapturing the Amateurs’ bench and ensuring his side held the whip hand through extra time.

Players spoke post-game with reverence of the ferocity of Matt Fewings’ on-field encouragement – the Mazenod ball-magnet combining two first-quarter goals with 24 disposals and six inside 50s, while the storied left boot of Fitzroy’s Nathan Ligris (39 disposals and 13 rebound 50s) drove the Amateurs metronomically from the half-back line.

Linehan, in his second year as captain, spoke of the bond forged between players who pulled on the Big V jumper – a bond that will deepen as tales grow taller from the remarkable finish at the QEO.

“I think everyone felt really connected, whether that was at the event on Thursday night – everyone felt like close friends already, which really gave us a bit of an edge when it came to crunch time on Sunday,” he said.

“We’d had a big theme about sort of creating our own story, and (then) we’re part of a win like that. It was pretty special … everyone was saying (post-game) it was probably the best win they’ve been a part of.”

BENDIGO FNL 9.17 (71)
VAFA 12.9 (81)
VAFA Goals: Payze 2, Nicholls 2, Fewings 2, Busuttil, Virtue, W Nichols, Dowling, McGlashan, Allen
VAFA Best: Busuttil, Linehan, Lowrie, Fewings, Ligris, McGlashan, Nicholls

Watch the full match replay of Sunday’s game below. Photos will be available on VAFA’s Facebook page soon.

Secure your very own specially designed Big V Centenary Guernsey worn by all four 2025 Big V Teams. You can purchase a personalised replica guernsey for a limited time – find out more here.