By RUSSELL BENNETT
ELLINBANK AND DISTRICT FOOTBALL LEAGUE
PREVIEW – SENIOR GRAND FINAL
CORA LYNN v BUNYIP
Grand Final – Saturday from 2.15pm at Cora Lynn
Ladder positions: 1st (16 wins, 0 losses) versus 2nd (14 wins, 2 losses)
Earlier this season: Round 3 at Cora Lynn: Cora Lynn 10.12 (72) d Bunyip 4.10 (34)
Cora Lynn players to watch: Ricky Clark, Ryan Gillis, Jackson Dalton
Bunyip players to watch: Nathan Lieshout, Kris Fletcher, Brad Walker
THIS is it – the showdown to end all showdowns.
Ever since Round 3, the Cobras and the Bulldogs have been desperate for a chance to face off once again.
Neither side has lost since Round 4 (Bunyip’s loss to the Dusties). The Dogs are rock-solid in their belief that they can topple Cora Lynn on the biggest of stages. Their improvement has been there for all to see since they last went head to head on Anzac Day – going down by 38 points.
But Brad Walker’s group won’t face a bigger task in their time together as one rock-solid band of brothers – the undefeated Cobras, at home, in a grand final.
In last year’s decider, Travis Marsham’s men erased any mental scars that existed through losses in big games in recent seasons. They obliterated any lingering doubts they may’ve had about getting the job done.
This year, it’s not about showing they can win a flag with all eyes on them. It’s about stamping their legacy in indelible ink. Their perfect season, if they can pull it off, will be forever remembered in league folklore. They’ll be remembered as legends. This is the last hurrah for their great mentor – the departing Marsham, and with the forever changing local footy landscape the same could be said for some of their best players.
Ricky Clark is coming into his 10th senior grand final. Let that sink in for a moment, and while you’re at it note that Nathan Muratore, at just 22, is about to play in his sixth senior decider in a row. Veteran ruckman David Main is about to play his sixth senior grand final too. The list goes on.
But they may never get this chance again – they almost certainly won’t get another chance to cap off the perfect year.
Afterall, it’s often said perfection is impossible to attain.
“We’re ready – we know what’s at stake here,” Marsham said.
“These are the two best teams in the competition and we’ve known for a long time how much of a threat they are to us.
“We know everyone wants to see us fall over at the final hurdle – we know how many people hate us.
“We could feel the daggers on us when we walked in to the ground (at Garfield) last year.
“The thing is – we love it. We own it and we thrive on it.”
Cora Lynn has never played Bunyip in a grand final before. The sides have faced off in five previous finals, with the ledger tipped Bunyip’s way at 3-2. This is the first time since 2009 that Cora Lynn has had both its seniors and reserves in action on grand final day, and it’s happened four times in the past.
It’s something Marsham takes great pride in – having both the seniors and reserves play on the last day of the fixture, and a home decider at that.
He can’t wait for Saturday – knowing full well what’s on the line.
“There’s really no excuses,” he said.
“If we get done, full credit to Bunyip. We’re fit, we’re fresh and we’re ready.”
Walker has the same approach.
“We’re two different sides who play two completely different brands of footy,” he said.
“They’ve got great individual players who dominate games, whereas we’ve got lesser lights who we depend on to all perform. If they don’t step up, that can really expose us.”
Walker said he’s learnt plenty from the Bulldogs’ loss to their arch-rivals Garfield in the 2013 decider at Western Park.
“We’d become too predictable – we were relying on individual players too much,” he said.
“We just needed to have more of an even share.”
By our reckoning, the Bulldogs have 11 players who’ve played in premierships in the past five years – many of them the 2012 side that beat the Stars, and Kris Fletcher who was vital in Beaconsfield’s win last year. He set the tone, and on Saturday he could do it again.
The Bulldogs are coming off a six-day break and particularly warm conditions in their prelim, but Walker looks as that as a much needed dress-rehearsal.
“For our players with experience in big games, it’s important they share what they’ve learnt with some of the younger players this week,” he added.
As for the key to the game as Walker sees it?
“Our backline has been our greatest strength this season – it’s been the strongest in the competition,” he said.
“But they’ve (Cora Lynn) got a great mix of height, speed and strength in their forward line.
“We won’t get caught up in Cora Lynn too much – we’re just worried about ourselves.
“It’s crucial to put scoreboard pressure on and dictate terms early.”
We’re predicting Cora Lynn to win by a couple of goals this week. It’s hard not to – their record is impossible to ignore. Just beware the snarling Bulldogs.
