By Mark Gullick
Cranbourne broke its 16- year premiership drought with a hard-fought 21-point victory over Narre Warren on Saturday.
The massive crowd that packed into Edwin Flack Reserve was thrilled with the match, which was closer than they expected.
It wasn’t until the final minutes that Cranbourne finally shook off its dogged opponents, after a moment of Justin Berry brilliance.
The star midfielder collected the ball and sliced it through the goals from the scoreboard pocket to finally extinguish Narre Warren’s hopes. Minutes later, captain Marc Holt repeated the dose with a goal from a similar spot to send the Eagles’ supporters into a rapturous mood. Earlier in the final term, an Aaron McIver goal gave Narre Warren the lead for the first time – and the darkness of last year’s straight sets finals exit loomed over Cranbourne.
But goals to Holt, Troy Datson, with a sensational left-foot snap and Matt Fletcher, settled the Eagles before Berry and Holt iced the win.
“I think the state of the game and the way it panned out, just adds to the quality of the year,” Cranbourne coach Doug Koop said.
“We had to stand up on that day against quality opposition and play some outstanding footy after we were challenged. We were able to do that and finish off the game very well.”
It was a nervy start to the match with eight minutes expired until the opening goal was scored by Berry with a long kick.
It took nearly as long for the next goal, again by Berry, sparking Cranbourne. The Eagles kicked three more goals, while Narre Warren scored two with the wind, and the former held a 17-point lead.
Cranbourne kicked with the wind in the second term, but it was Narre Warren that landed the first blow with a goal to McIver.
Cranbourne kicked two goals, from Curtis Barker and a brilliant boundary snap by Ray George, but the Eagles didn’t fully capitalise on their advantage.
Despite having one less scoring shot, Narre Warren trailed by 21 points at half-time. To this point, the Magpies had shared the honours in the midfield battle, but failed to find a winning forward.
Then Magpie star Nick Scanlon stepped up and tore the game open. He kicked three goals, primarily from massive kicks beyond the 50-metre arc. However, Cranbourne was able to kick crucial goals, with Holt goaling twice and Barker adding another major.
A late goal by Cole Harvey put the Magpies within four points at the final break.
An early McIver goal gave Narre Warren the lead before Cranbourne kicked five straight goals en route to victory. It was a brilliant contest – Cranbourne’s class and determination shone through while Narre Warren refused to quit.
The commitment and hardness by all 44 players resulted in one of the classic, all-time great grand finals. “(Narre Warren) were phenomenal,” Koop said.
“I watched them two weeks before and certainly didn’t expect that performance because (against Berwick in the qualifying final) they didn’t really show a lot. (In the grand final) they showed a lot of grit and determination and their ability to keep going and going at the contest was very special.
“They had their opportunities, but fortunately for our boys, we had a really good start. We won the game in the first quarter, I reckon.”
Koop was disappointed with the second term, where his players didn’t fully utilise the wind. “We wasted an opportunity there, and to Narre’s credit, they played a very good third quarter, but they didn’t really hurt us on the scoreboard,” Koop said.
Star Cranbourne playmaker Curtis Barker was awarded the VCFL medal for best afield with his rugged display. He booted three crucial goals.
“I was just lucky enough the ball came my way,” Barker said.
“We went out in straight sets last year and we said from the start of pre-season that this is what we wanted. Everyone knuckled down and did the hard work and we got the reward.” Michael Boland, winner of the Casey Radio best afield award, alternated between defence and the ruck and was rarely beaten.
“I’ll never forget this, it’s the best moment of my life,” Boland said. “It’s so overwhelming, we worked really hard this year and it has paid off. (Narre Warren) are a great side, they were always going to be tough and they know how to win finals.”
Koop praised his backline.
“Andre Young was outstanding for four quarters, ‘Leo’ Beadel in the back half was very good in the second half,” Koop said.
“He is just massively competitive and the other guys back there just gelled really well.” Captain Marc Holt kicked five goals in a powerful forward display.
“We knew (Narre Warren) were going to be good, they’ve won four out of the last five premierships for a reason, they were hard at it and the intensity was up,” Holt said.
“I’ve played with these boys for years and years through the juniors. Seventeen years of football and everyone’s still involved. Twenty-one of the 22 are local footballers from Cranbourne, and Caleb Tiller is a local anyway.”
Tiller joined the club this year and was a consistently excellent performer.
“Can’t really complain walking into an undefeated side, and there’s no better group of boys,” Tiller said.
“We knew coming into the game that they’re a really good finals side. We had the wood over them this year, but their record shows they win in pressure situations. We just had to stick to our structures and processes and get it done.”
MPNFL and VCFL representative Justin Berry kicked three goals in a classy showing.
“I’ve played in eight losing grand finals, so to win one is still overwhelming at the moment,” Berry said.
“I think it will sink in a lot later. We’re only a young side, there’s only a couple that are over 30 years, so we’ll come back bigger and stronger next year and hopefully go back-to-back.” There are few football clubs that give better emotional and financial value than Narre Warren.
The Magpies were brilliant – they courageously battled away at Cranbourne all day, but couldn’t get over the line.
“I was proud of the way we went about it, just disappointed that we had more scoring shots, but still came up short,” Narre Warren coach Chris Toner said.
“I don’t want to take anything away from Cranbourne, they were obviously the best team all year.
“In real terms on the day, I think we controlled the game for two-and-a-half quarters. In the first quarter, we wasted opportunities. We said earlier in the year that we wanted another go at them and we were probably the only team that could have an impact, but we just fell short.”
Despite his tender years, Adam Giobbi led the Narre Warren defence with a plucky, skilful performance.
“He was magnificent; he played a fantastic game,” Toner said.
“He just takes the game on and provides a lot of run. I don’t think we had a bad player.
“I think we all played quite well, but they were just too physically strong and probably a bit more experienced in the end.”
The Dandenong Stingrays player fought off a plethora of Cranbourne attacks, while also providing plenty of dash and rebound. Nick Scanlon was superb, especially in the third term when his purple patch dragged the Magpies back into the match.
He kicked five goals before Brandon Osborne went to him and did a good job to try and quell him.
Josh Tonna was busy on his wing, Col McNamara worked hard in the midfield, Ben King was plucky across the half-back line and captain Michael Collins gathered many possessions.
CRANBOURNE 5.3 7.5 10.5 15.6.96
NARRE WARREN 2.4 3.8 8.13 10.15.75
Cranbourne
Best: C. Barker, M. Boland, M. Rus, J.Berry, L. Holt, A. Young.
Goals: M. Holt 5, J. Berry 3, C.Barker 2, M. Fletcher 2, R. George, T. Datson, J. Murphy.
Narre Warren
Best – A. Giobbi, N. Scanlon, J. Tonna, C. McNamara, B. King, M. Collins.
Goals – N. Scanlon 5, A.McIver 3, C. Harvey 2.
