By Tyler Lewis
OUTER EAST FOOTBALL
PREMIER DIVISION GRAND FINAL REVIEW – OTHER GRADES
There was an eerie silence around Toomuc Reserve on Friday moments after the final siren as Beaconsfield and Berwick proved inseparable after four quarters of football.
Locked at 29 points apiece, the two sides were forced into extra time to decide who would be the Outer East Premier division Under-18 premiers for 2019.
With a gale blowing to the netball court end of the ground, capitalising with the breeze was going to be the difference.
With the wind in the opening term, the Eagles took their time to assert their dominance where it mattered, before Sam Merrick demonstrated some of his composure learned from senior football performances this season to add his side’s first major.
With the ball living at one end of the ground, the Wickers had done well against the breeze to hold the Eagles to an eight point margin.
Capitalisation with the breeze was crucial for the Wickers to stay in the match.
Despite drawing the scores level at the main break, the Wickers took the difficult route by kicking eight straight behinds in the second term.
The third term proved to be another scoreless quarter at the Princess Highway end as Sam Merrick’s second and George Skaliaris’ first sent the Eagles into the final huddle with a handy 15-point margin.
The start for both sides was pivotal.
Beaconsfield’s Daniel Davies got on to the ball out the back of transition and stormed into an unguarded 50 to put the first score on the board at the Princess Highway end early in the fourth term.
At the crossroads of premiership glory or anguish, the Wickers found another gear.
Kyle Gains took a monstrous pack mark to take a shot on goal to get the Wickers back in the match.
Struggling to make the journey, all arms rose and fell – without the ball – on the goal line… except those of Jacob Keysers.
From a tight angle, he then ran around to put his side back into the contest.
The youngster again only minutes later put through his second to get Berwick within three points.
With six minutes to go and all the momentum, Berwick was in the box seat to kick another and secure premiership glory.
Missed opportunities and repeat stoppages in the Wickers’ forward pocket had the sides tied when the final siren silenced the ground.
With coaches withheld from addressing their players before overtime, the on-field leaders were tested to calm the nerves of their respective groups.
Both sides were allowed five minutes with stoppage time from each end, meaning the use of the wind was in each side’s disposal once more.
With the Wickers storming home, a goal from the Eagles was going to be like gold in their first half with the wind.
The Berwick side defended as its life depended on it in the first half of overtime until Jordan McGeagh lit up the pavilion side wing with a mesmeric display of run and carry.
Neither side troubled the scorers in the first half of overtime, but with the Wickers with the wind in the final half, they were in the box seat.
After another stretch of scrappy football, Berwick’s Noah Tabak lined up to win the Wickers the premiership.
Clearly an attempt from beyond 50 with the wind was no obstacle as the left-footer strolled in and, from the paint of the arc, kicked the Wickers into the record books.
Jacob Keysers was named best afield in the 4.12 (36) to 4.5 (29) victory for his unstoppable fourth quarter performance.
In the reserves, meanwhile, Berwick was unable to make it two from two as Narre Warren secured its first piece of silverware for the day.
Despite the wind dying off in the break of the under-18s match, the Wickers kicked to the scoring end in the opening stanza and made the most of their opportunities.
After the Wickers got off to a fast two-goal start at the first stanza, it was the Magpies’ turn to surge with the wind.
But as the wind started to become a non-factor, the Wickers kicked another two majors to leap out to a dangerous four-goal lead at the main break with the Pies yet to kick a major.
The Narre side came out with a hungry mindset to slowly but surely claw back into the match.
Keeping the Wickers goalless in the third term and kicking two themselves, the Magpies put a bit of voice in their supporters around the ground.
Two fourth-term goals again had the scores tied with only minutes to go at an ironic 29 points apiece.
Before the siren could create deja vu, the league’s leading goal kicker Joshua Dowling – who went goalless on the day – won a downfield free kick and lined up at half-forward, kicking the most important behind of his life as the Magpies won by the slimmest of margins, 4.6 (30) to 4.5 (29).
