By Hayley Wildes
There are moments in history that will be looked back on in decades to come as club-defining.
The final minutes of the 2018 Ellinbank and District Football League grand final will be just that for the Nyora Football Club.
After Longwarry star Russ Lehman – who was awarded best on ground honours – goalled at the 12-minute mark of the final quarter to bring his side within five points, the Saints had to dig deep.
With the ball locked in Longwarry’s forward half for the final five minutes of the game, Nyora’s defence simply wouldn’t let up. In the wet, slippery and windy conditions at Western Park, the Saints’ defence relished the contest and managed to repel with a desire that couldn’t be questioned.
The Crows only had one real chance to grab the lead, but much to the delight of the raucous Nyora crowd, the shot sailed wide.
The Saints held their nerve in defence and now have a premiership cup because of it.
It was a game that really could’ve gone either way; both teams had their chances to put scoreboard pressure on, but in torrential conditions with hail falling throughout the game, goals were extremely hard to come by.
Whilst Nyora’s fourth quarter defence clinched the premiership, it was their third quarter offence that set up the premiership.
Having not kicked a goal in the first half, Nyora finally broke through when Ilan Osman slotted a major from the goal square almost nine minutes into the third quarter.
It took the Saints 50 minutes to score their first goal, but the Nyora faithful didn’t have to wait long to celebrate its second. Just three minutes after Osman got on the board, Ben Schultz snapped a major to give the Saints the lead for the first time.
Nyora’s midfield was starting to take control of the arm-wrestle and the play of inspirational captain Dylan Heylen – who returned after missing over a month of football due to a shoulder injury – was massive around the clinches.
Osman slotted a late major – a beautiful set shot from the boundary – to have the Saints boasting a small but commanding 10-point lead at the final break, 3.3 (21) to 1.5 (11).
The fourth quarter was a battle of attrition, but the Saints found a way to get the job done, claiming the premiership with a 3.4 (22) to 2.6 (18) win.
It’s a far cry from the recent memories of big losses and struggles to keep the club afloat.
In Nyora’s final game of the 2017 season, they were trounced by Neerim Neerim South to the tune of 115 points.
Fast forward 12 months and the Saints are the toast of the EDFL.
It has been a dramatic turnaround for a club that was on its knees not too long ago.
After the historic win, first-year president Gavin Doig talked about the club’s transformation that yielded the Saints their first senior premiership since 2007.
“It’s pretty emotional to be honest,” he said.
“Four years ago we were closing the doors and now four years later we’ve got a senior flag, juniors up and going, women’s footy, netball is doing well and this is just a culmination of the past three years.
“The last three minutes I could barely watch, I was looking around at people who have been here for 40, 50 years and some people that are third and fourth generation and it just means so much to so many people.”
The town of Nyora may be small, but the people within the town have big hearts and live for the club.
“It’s a testament to everyone – we’re just one community,” Doig said.
“There are clubs out there that will bring in 10 players every year, but we can’t do that – we’re a small community and if we burn that community, we’ll close the doors. For us, it’s about supporting what you have and building on what you have.”
The Saints certainly built on what they had. Despite winning just four games last year, the club knew they were on the right track and just needed to add some class and experience.
Of the 21 players who walked off the ground in the final round of 2017 having suffered a 115-point loss, 12 of those players had a premiership medallion draped around their necks on Saturday afternoon.
When the game was there to be won, Nyora’s leaders stood up; the likes of playing coach Fia Tootoo and captain Dylan Heylen.
“Fia played in our last premiership and then he came back when the club was on its knees because he wanted to build a culture and build something where we could hopefully do this,” Doig said.
“He’s just a real leader of men, not just men, but people. You build clubs around those people. His passion, he wears it like a jumper everyday – he’s a passionate man and that rubs off everyone and we’re lucky to have him.
“Dylan was touch and go, even on Thursday night.
“He did a bit of a semi-dislocation only a few weeks back, so to come in with that sort of confidence, that’s what flags are built on.”
With Heylen and Tootoo leading the way, it was the work of Shaun Beecroft, Tim Burns, Sam Burns and Ilan Osman (two goals) up forward that powered the Saints to victory.
It was a win for the believers; those that stood with the club through the good times and the bad.
One man that has been there through it all is Geoff Glover; the undisputed heart and soul of the Nyora Football Club.
In what was his 50th year of service to the club, Glover was front and centre of the celebrations and in the rooms after the game, Nyora presented him with a premiership medallion.
“He’s been nominated about 22 times for Best Club Person, because he’s just always doing things and he still is this year – even on grand final day he’s filling up water bottle bottles, trying to put in the effort to make this club better,” Doig said.
“For somebody like that, who gives everything that they’ve got to the place, he deserves it (the medal). You could see him singing the song and he’s just as much a part of it now as he always has been.”
Fia Tootoo may have summed up the win best.
“It’s a community win, it’s our towns win. It’s not just the 21 players, it’s all of us – I’m just lost for words.”
