By Nic Creely
It was a moment that will go down in Doveton folklore, a piece of magic that capped off a remarkable afternoon at the Woori Yallock Recreation Reserve.
And it was only fitting that this moment – one that sealed one of the most famous local football premierships of recent memory – came from the Doves’ inspirational, beloved skipper, Matthew Stapleton.
In an absorbing contest – one with rapid momentum-swings – Stapleton kicked one of the most clutch goals imaginable with just minutes on the clock in the final term, and with his side just three points up on a surging Pakenham.
It was a moment reminiscent of the famous goal kicked in the dying moments of the 2018 AFL grand final between Collingwood and West Coast, with Stapleton, tucked deep into the pocket 45 metres out, launching it straight through the middle of the big sticks to all but assure that silverware would be heading to AJ Robinson Reserve for the first time since 2005.
“The crowd was actually cheering me on to put it through, so I was lucky it wasn’t in the other pocket – I just punched it in and went through the big ones,” he said of the moment with a massive grin on his face.
“I knew that I had to punch in, and to be honest I thought about last year’s AFL grand final with Dom Sheed taking a similar shot in the pocket, so that was what going through my head.”
But it was the way that the Doves rallied together to play yet another commanding team game that culminated in this magic moment, with Stapleton describing the Doveton Football Netball Club as one big family – one that sticks together through thick and thin, and there’s been plenty of moments over the last few years that have certainly tested the fabric of the club.
“These boys, we’re all brothers, and we’ve been through all the hard times together,” he said.
“Not everyone was here for the hard times last year, but I think they all got a sense that there was a bit of hurt there last year, and that definitely carried through us a little bit.
“I think going through the hard times only makes the good times even better, and that’s probably the feeling at the moment to be honest.
“It’s such an amazing feeling (winning the premiership), it hasn’t sunk in, but I’m sure it will over the next few days.”
