By RUSSELL BENNETT
ELLINBANK AND DISTRICT FOOTBALL LEAGUE
GRAND FINAL REVIEW WEST DIVISION – SENIORS
THE dam wall burst for Kooweerup soon after quarter-time on Saturday at Beswick Street.
They’d gone from being locked in a tense battle – down two points at quarter time – to being blown away in the face of a six-goal to one second term onslaught.
They just had nothing left – they’d reached their summit in an emotional preliminary final win over Garfield, while Cora Lynn climbed another mountain entirely.
The Demons’ brains trust brought Ben and Tim Miller, Matt Grant and Nathan Prosser into the side for a chance to write their own fairy tale – to try and win the club’s first senior premiership since 1981.
It was a risk they almost had to take. The Cobras just had far too many weapons.
After leading at half-time by 33 points, those guns just continued to fire shot after shot across the Kooweerup bow until the ship sank – downed by 78 points, 18.15 (123) to 6.9 (45).
Ricky Clark (3 goals) was in vintage form – as strong as an ox through the middle of the ground, and cunning out in space. The former Narre Warren gun won the medal as the best player on the ground but Jack Allen, Jackson Dalton (4 goals) and the ruck combination of David Main and Brad Horaczko were just as deadly.
Allen’s biggest impact was felt early. Right at home on the Beswick Street turf, the former Garfield premiership star took mark after intercepting mark across half-back – almost single-handedly cutting off supply to the Demon forwards.
Nathan Langley was harshly red-carded for obscene language early in the first quarter, leaving his side a man down for the remainder of the game, but a number of the Cobras’ less-celebrated players, such as Justin McCleary and Luke Foreman (2 goals), stepped up and made all the difference.
Andrew Proctor was stoic down back for Kooweerup and Paul Gramc strong in his utility role but after the first 25 minutes, their side was constantly on the back foot – always under pressure.
For the Cobras, Saturday was vindication of a stellar season. They were the best side from the start of the season and nothing short of a premiership win would satisfy.
For Matt Shorey’s Kooweerup it was a disappointing end to an otherwise outstanding year – one that saw the Demons rise all the way from sixth and an elimination final defeat in 2013.
The lasting scenes of Saturday for the boys from Denhams Road likely won’t be those of despair out on the Beswick Street ground, but those of celebration back at their clubrooms later that night. An army of Demons’ faithful joined the players in toasting a season of development and real improvement. A repeat next year might just see them go one step further but they’ll have to find a way past Cora Lynn first.
