Doves climb the mountain

By Nick Creely

There was never a moment of comfort in Sunday’s AFL Outer Division 1 senior football grand at Woori Yallock.

It was tense, at times scrappy, and with both sides at times looking nervy and unsettled, but that’s what grand finals can be at times.

That tension was even more evident as both Doveton and Pakenham were looking to break through for arguably their most famous flag of recent memory, considering the struggles both have endured over recent years.

But there’s something special about the Doves, who pipped the Lions in an epic decider in front of a monster crowd, 9.7 (61) to 8.7 (55).

From a winless 2018, almost shutting the doors and struggling to field a side, the Doves are one of the stories of the season, a club that’s literally built itself back up from nothing to find a way to succeed and flourish.

And it came down to those little moments that mattered, and the tight bond created between every single person who represents the club.

In a highly contested game – full of rapid momentum-swings – it took a moment of magic from Doves skipper Matthew Stapleton to seal the deal with just minutes left on the clock, launching a late goal from deep in the pocket from 45 metres out in front of a vocal Lions crowd to kick the sealing goal.

It was a moment the Doves faithful will never forget, helping the previously embattled club to its first senior flag since 2005, but it was just one of many defining moments in an absorbing battle.

The match was a pure slog early, with both sides looking to crack into the contest and keep the game as tight as possible, and at quarter time the Doves took in a four-point lead, but could have been further ahead had it not been for some errant kicking at goal.

But it was obvious that the Doves had many aspects of the game already on their terms despite the Lions looking ominous every time they managed to find an inkling of space.

The Doves were desperate to keep the ball in close, take away the Lions’ ability to run the ball freely off half-back, and apply the heat to the ball carrier.

Tyson Bellinger got the Doves off to the perfect start to the second quarter, kicking a goal on the run after an impressive bit of clearance work from Mitch Cotter, and star Lachie Batten (best afield) continued his strong start by slamming on two goals within just a minute to surge his side clear.

But the Lions fought back – spurred by some excellent defensive efforts and a desire to use the width of the ground to find space – to trim the margin back to nine points at the major break, with skipper Chris Cardona in particular playing a cracking quarter of football.

With just 30 minutes of good football left for one side to be up on the podium, Charles delivered a stirring three quarter time speech to his group, imploring his boys to leave nothing in the tank.

“Can we take away their space?” he asked his players.

“Are you prepared to hurt, like you’ve never hurt before?

“Someone’s going to give up, someone always gives up, and it gets a little bit too hard for someone.

“We spoke about how tight this group is, how much we care for one another. What are you prepared to do for this club?

“We’re in a perfect spot, we win the quarter, and we win the game.”

There were some danger signs for the Lions early in the third, with Batten kicking his fourth goal, but a Jake Thompson ripper sent the Pakenham faithful wild, before the Lions controlled the remainder of the quarter as Darcy Hope started to become a force up forward.

Hope – who began to turn the game at stages in the third term – drew a free kick to begin the last quarter, roosting the ball from 50 out to send the Lions in front, and all of a sudden, the contest had reverted back to a highly contested slog.

With the vocal crowd growing in voice, some superb ball movement from the Doves saw Sean Kelleher mark the ball in the goal square and convert his major to see his side back in the lead, and over the course of the next 10 minutes, not one point was scored with Daniel Charles’ side looking to lock the game away.

The Lions peppered the goal – looking to somehow find the match winning major – but skipper Stapleton provided that one defining moment, finding some space on the boundary line, and with nerves of steel, kicked his side clear in a moment that will go down in Doves folklore.

In a desperate scramble to stay alive, the Lions refused to give in as the crowd fell to an almost eerie silence, and as the clock continued to climb and the ball parked in the defensive half of the Doves, the likes of Matthew Boyd, Daniel Zajac, and the grunt of ruckman Michael Sikora and midfielder Mitch Cotter was telling in the end, with the siren eventually blaring as the green and black faithful erupted.

It was a day of significant individual performances, and in particular from Lachlan Batten – who set the tone early with his work in the midfield before floating forward to be a devastating force – to be the runaway winner of the best on ground medal for the Doves, while teenager Deakyn Smith lit up Woori Yallock with his run and creativity, defender Daniel Zajac was impassable, while Mitch Cotter proved that the finals stage is meant for him.