By Nick Creely
Narre Warren coach Matt Shinners knew that something needed to drastically change in what proved to be his last game at the helm.
In another fairy tale finish as coach – with Shinners standing down from the top job only days after the grand final – the masterful Magpie provided yet another reminder of his immense tactical mind with a number of astute moves throughout the match.
Whether it was mindset, matchups, selections or a different approach to how they structure up, one thing was certain as the Magpies ventured to the centre square for the opening bounce – keep doing the same thing, and the Wickers will get them once again.
But what transpired in a rain-soaked Toomuc Reserve was something of a coaching masterpiece from the now three-time Magpie premiership coach and his assistants, something similar to his 2010 grand final win against Beaconsfield, where his side went in as massive underdogs.
And it was perfectly executed by a hungry group desperate to not allow the powerful Berwick to cruise to its third straight grand final victory over them.
The Magpies completely shut down the Wickers’ in the key areas that have eluded them in the past three years, looked like a side with more spring in their step, and shifted players where they had an immediate impact.
Soaking it all in, with his players – only metres from their coach, and belting out a rousing rendition of its song on the ground – Shinners told the Gazette of how proud he was of the group’s ability to adapt to the conditions, and how making the most of their chances was vital to the outcome of the game.
“We’ve really improved our game, and our structures over the last 12 months, so when the rain came, we’ve been a lot better in the wet,” he said.
“I knew that they would hold up, the players have been playing well, and structurally we’ve been a lot better.
“In the second semi (against Berwick), we could have gone in five or six goals up, and when we scored (in the grand final) it really counted, and we had all the play in that second quarter, and we really deserved the goal that Jake (Richardson) kicked before half time, and in slippery conditions we deserved it.
“We stuck to our guns all day, played really smart footy, worked the ball down the line and got the break – when you’re behind you’re having to take risks, and they missed targets, so we were able to control the game.”
Losing the past two grand finals to the Wickers certainly took its toll on Shinners’ group, but as time has worn on, the Magpies found a way to believe, and eventually conquer a side that has provided them with plenty of heartbreak.
“It’s more about belief, five times in a row they’d beaten us – as I said to them (before the game), every single person standing in the room believes you guys can win, so you’ve got to believe that yourself,” he said.
“That was the difference, and we knew that if we brought the right attitude, we’ll win.”
One of the shrewdest tactical moves in a stunning premiership win was the move of usual midfielder Nathan Foote to the Wickers’ dangerous forward Harry Money, with the gun producing one of his finest games of the year to walk away with a best-on-ground medal. The move of Jake Richardson back to a key defender, allowing debutant youngster Connor Wilkins to share the ruck load after an untimely injury to Matt Soroczynski was another stroke of genius, adding another dimension to the side.,
“We’ve been thinking about it for a while (using Foote in that role) – you don’t want to show your hand too much, so we kept it up our sleeve, and if we got to this point again we’d change it up,” he said.
“We thought Nathan was the best fit for us.”
While the Magpies will certainly savour every single moment of a premiership journey that took plenty of guts and determination, Shinners said the sky is the limit for an incredibly young football club stocked full with talent as he passes on the baton to someone else .
“You look at our second and firsts sides, they’re fairly young groups, and that’s been the pinnacle for the year, we’ve had a lot of blokes pushing up from underneath to get a game,” he said.
“And we played our 18th or 19th first gamer (Connor Wilkins), and he did his job, and that’s what it’s been all about – (they’ll) get back into the summer and go again, we’ve got a lot of great fitness staff that look after us, so it’s all up to them.”
