By RUSSELL BENNETT
EMERALD senior coach Jason Bek said it best at Healesville on Saturday afternoon, just as his side was about to step out on to the ground and meet its fate against Kinglake.
“It’s days like today that we get measured as men, and as footballers,” he told his group.
“Don’t forget this message – today is all about character. Win, lose or draw we want no questions asked about our character as men and as footballers.”
Rarely has a sporting club’s character been tested as much as the Emerald Football Netball Club’s has this season.
When teenagers Sharn Walker, Jason Breakwell and Felisha Allen were killed when the car they were in crashed in Avonsleigh on 30 June, the club was rocked to its core. But through the darkness came a strength and resilience that had to be seen to be believed. It’s often said that sporting clubs are like extended families, but in Emerald’s case it’s true. In a time of unimaginable grief, everyone involved at the club rallied around the families of those lost, and each other. Talk about putting life, and sport, into context.
But the Bombers, strengthened through the adversity, pushed on and – ultimately – a remarkable seven Emerald teams across senior and junior football and netball reached grand finals this season. Only one of those went on to claim the top prize, but that side was Jason Bek’s senior football team – earning the club its place back in Division 1 of the Yarra Valley Mountain District Football League with a convincing 54-point thumping of Kinglake – 11.14 (80) to 3.8 (26).
One of Bek’s final messages to his men before they stood arm in arm for the national anthem prior to play was to play with passion, but also with composure.
It would have been so easy for them to get caught up in the moment in front of a massive contingent of the Bomber faithful that converged on the Healesville Sporting Complex. They were there on Saturday to back their club to the hilt – first in the B Grade netball grand final against Yea (in which an incredibly gallant Bombers outfit went down by just a goal after coming back from a five-goal deficit); and then in the reserves football grand final – which Yarra Junction won by less than two straight kicks.
The senior side could have felt insurmountable pressure to get the job done – after all, it entered the game as the raging-hot favourite against the Lakers. But instead, this incredibly tight-knit unit – led superbly by skipper Matt Livermore and inspirational veterans Ryan Simpson, Daniel Ferry and Caillin Porter – stood tall and showed the strength of a side that deserved its place in Division 1. Paul White and Damien Volta cut the Lakers’ midfield to shreds through the middle of the ground with their blistering speed, with White – who won the best on ground medal – responsible for a series of jaw-dropping plays.
Up forward, Alex Hellriegel (three goals) took every contest head-on and clinched a series of big-time marks. The big man lifted on the big stage – as did Simpson and Porter. Their experience and composure – there’s that word again – made a huge impact, while the Bombers’ defensive unit as a whole withstood everything the Lakers threw at it; conceding just a single goal for the first half and three for the match.
The Dompietro boys – Mat and Michael, Casey Thomsen, John MacKay, Luke McKenna, Brent Moloney, and young Jai Kruithof … they’re just a few of a long list of Bombers players who selflessly played their roles. Fittingly, this truly was a whole team effort.
Bailey Robinson, Tim Arnott and Jaedin Poecher were the Lakers’ biggest contributors but a host of their big-name stars were kept quiet by a Bombers side that – right from the start of the year, its first back at their Chandler Reserve home – earned its premiership.
“This has been an emotional rollercoaster – it’s been a long, hard year,” said Bombers president Bruce Rush after the game.
“It’s been an emotional ride for a lot of people, so it’s good to be able to reward them.
“I’m the most proud of the way we stuck together during the hard times – I was proud of the way our people behaved and were a support to each other, but also the way in which they stayed focused on this end game which they had to do.”
Livermore said his biggest over-riding feeling after the win was, simply, relief.
“We knew at half-time they’d have the wind in the third quarter and if we could peg level with them then we’d be right and it’d set ourselves for a big last quarter,” he said.
“Credit to Kinglake – they played really hard in that third quarter. It was really physical, but with our leg speed and the games they’d played it was pretty hard for them to get up.”
Livermore still marveled at the inner strength of his club, and couldn’t help but smile when the topic of returning to first division was brought up.
“I think the club has been so solid since that tragic accident occurred. It’s almost created this special bond between everyone,” he said.
“You hear these stories in the news about footy clubs losing lives in car accidents but you think it’ll never happen to your club. When it does, you’ve got no idea how it much it rocks not only the footy club but the whole community.
“The way the club got around each other, and the support we all got from the community was just outstanding.
“I think that’s why you play footy – it’s the sport you play for, but it’s the company you enjoy the most. It’s really special. We’re lucky to have a club like this – you could almost call it a family.”
As for next year – the Bombers are hell-bent on making sure their stay in Division 1 isn’t a short-term one.
“There’s a lot of good things on the horizon for this footy club and I can guarantee you that these boys will be very competitive in Division 1 next year – they won’t be easy-beats,” Bek said.
“Look, it’s not important if other people don’t think we can match it in Division 1.
“What’s important is that we think we can. We’re not coming up next year to make up the numbers. We’re coming up to be fair dinkum and have a crack.”
