Friday, February 14, 2025

God smiles on Demons’ last hurrah

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In their last ever home game as the storied Wycheproof-Narraport Football Club, the bottom rung Demons fittingly torched their long term arch rivals, top of the table Birchip-Watchem.

In front of a large returning group of supporters, who ventured from far and wide to witness the end of an incredible football club, Wycheproof-Narraport, with a fiercer desire for the ball, ran out winners by 12 points wildly exciting the home crowd parked around the “Green Mill”.

No matter where these two protagonists sit on the ladder, more times than not, for decades, a red hot close contest ensues and haven’t there been some battle royales? So it was Saturday with the Demons belying their lower ladder position to show the finals-bound Bulls a clean pair of heels, recording a meritorious victory. And on Saturday’s form, made a mockery of the form lines, for it is the Bulls who will play a second semi final in a few weeks’ time while the Demons sit out September action for one of the scarce times in their ultra successful history which began way back in 1963 (or was it 1964?).

With a sense of occasion the Dees had come to play and within minutes of play opening had the first two majors on the board and were never headed thereafter. Brilliant performance led by the showbiz sounding Grabowski brothers, Nick and Josh, who were everywhere and in everything. Nick across half forward mostly, just demanded the ball, lightning quick, he lit up the game darting around the forward arc, delivering pin point passes which split the Bulls’ backline apart.

Brother Josh carved it up from the midfield where Tom Trewin had the herculean task to match Bulls big, big men Hamish Hosking and Loch Sirett. He performed with aplomb, up for the physical contest using his own bulk to effect, up close the whole time and finished off with a goal late in the game after a 50 metre penalty to effectively halt the Bulls’ last quarter charge. With Hosking unable to dominate the Bulls’ mids found the going tougher than usual and weren’t able to generate their usual forward entry pressure.

Young Health Senior kicked the Dees off to a flyer with a lovely set shot for the game’s first goal and he was a thorn in the Bulls’ side all day. Playing a valuable forward role and finishing with another is a day he won’t forget, typifying the Dees’ forward play where they led the Bulls a merry dance, albeit aided considerably by a rampant midfield group who continually pushed up to provide extra numbers in the forward arc. They just had too many loose players in the arc for the Bulls to defend against, particularly in their impressive first half of football, and they were able to convert their chances. One just knew it was going to be the Demons’ day when the ball landed in Cody Green’s lap, three back in a pack swarming with Bulls in the goalsquare, his resulting goal giving them a 2 zip advantage.

With confidence high the Dees just continued to attack like men possessed, Koby Hommelhoff winning it regularly in the midfield driving it forward. Rick Allan darted around like a teenager across the middle positioned on a wing (actually amazing that at 37 years young, having suffered a significant hip injury 5 years ago that he’s been able to resurrect his playing career and combining playing duties with a brilliant leadership role as club president almost single handedly keeping the Dees afloat as a playing entity). Bulls were flatfooted and playing bruise free, barely laying a tackle, nor running and carrying, but they didn’t have possession of the ball to do this. The result, no forward fifty entries, gun forward Ben Edwards just 10 shy of an amazing 100 season goals, as cold as a Phillip Island penguin longing for the ball to come down. Just not the Bulls’ way.

An agitated coach Trev Ryan put the acid on his charges at the quarter-time break and it had some short term effect with the Bulls out of the blocks opening, with successive goals to Edwards and Sean Hogan before the Dees again knuckled down pinging the ball forward. They just wanted the pill more, Hommelhoff and Grabowski continued to be influential, Maysen Murgov playing out of centre half back was controlling the back half and Rob Fawcett was having a battle royale locked into Edwards, but with below standard forward entries by the Bulls, his task was made much easier. A ruck infringement saw Morgan Fawcett with a free in front of goal which he duly delivered and then another just before the bell to Hommelhoff saw the Dees maintain their 2 goal quarter-time lead at the main break. Game on, forget the ladder positions, Dees up and about, supporters chirpy, the Bulls flat as pancakes, players down across the park.

It was the Demons who were playing with flair, the Bulls not prepared to work hard enough to create the space and generate the opportunities further afield and the scoreboard reflected the workrate. The Dees were outworking and outplaying the more fancied Bulls. Ryan singled out the efforts of his mid, Meyrick Buchanan, who had worked his butt off to keep the Bulls in the game as he implored his team to lift their effort.

The third stanza locked down into an arm wrestle, Cody Green nabbed his second goal to push the Dees advantage out to 3 goals before Edwards kicked his third from a long way out and then his fourth, but the 100 looked a forlorn target. The Bulls dragged the margin back to 9 points, but still not coming up with the goods. The Dees’ back six was standing up to the increased Bulls’ entry, Joe Kenny mopping up plenty of loose balls across half back and then delivering further afield to create opportunity. The Bulls’ back six which had been left flat-footed in the first half, were paying their opponents more respect in this period, tightening up, not allowing the Dees space they had in the first half and the goal flow reduced accordingly.

The game was up a notch, Nic Rippon got busy after a quieter than normal first half by his lofty standards. Young Austin Dean played with some flair across the wing, prominent with some run and dash for the Bulls, but both sides found it difficult to slot the big sticks. Strange, as it was a glorious day for football so the weather gods could not be blamed for the low scoring. More so that the game had locked down, the Bulls had certainly improved their defensive efforts, not allowing the Dees the same space as earlier, but the Dees defence was just as miserly and tight.

A goal from Edwards after a strong contested mark in the first minute got the Bulls off to the last quarter start they needed, bringing the contest to a 3 point ball game, the large home crowd congregated around the Green Mill bar finding voice to rally their troops and with strong support at their back, the Dees willed the ball forward where Senior delivered six points with a cool set shot under pressure. Then Edwards duly goaled again, the quarter not yet ten minutes in, frenetic pace, Hosking had lifted, Rippon running everywhere, Sean Hogan winning possessions around the contest, Bulls looking better, the Dees defending relentlessly.

The ball just pinged back and forward between the arcs, neither side able to push past resolute defences, Jake Noonan holding out the Dees, Murgov doing the same aided by Spencer Allan, who surely is the most improved North Central footballer in recent years, maybe finding love was the answer. Hommelhoff broke the impasse with a big strike from 45 metres out to press the Dees’ advantage back out to 10 points before yet another ruck infringement and subsequent 50m penalty bought Trewin to within striking distance and the lad duly drove the nail into the Bulls’ coffin much as his father did against the old Birchip and Watchem sides in the ’70s and 80s, although young Tom is not quite the carbon copy of the old man.

Edwards delivered his seventh (a massive effort to kick 7 of the Bulls’ total 9 goals and just fall agonisingly 3 goals short of an incredible 100 goals) at the 20 min mark to bring the Bulls back within 2 goals, to give them a small sniff, but these Dees on this poignant day weren’t going to allow their party to be spoiled and they willed home a victory for the ages as they said “Adieu” to the Demons Den. Not a bad way to send off the home colours, a sad day in many respects, but a reality of the population decline of the past 30 years.

It was a day at the office the Bulls would rather forget, lamentable in fact, one that coach Ryan will dispense to the bin, sure they missed the run and carry of the Reid brothers but they looked limped, too many good players didn’t bother the stats sheet. The bye this week comes at an opportune time as they prepare in readiness for what promises to be a cracking second semi final against the Tigers in 3 weeks’ time. Captain Hinkley returned for his first match in 5 weeks and will be greatly improved for the run, and a welcome sight was Sirett actually moving around the ground in his first run for weeks. They won’t want to play bruise-free footy anymore this season or it will come crashing down.

This was a day for Demon nostalgia, their last home game as the Wycheproof-Narraport combine, an amazing football premiership winning machine, hardly a September without them in 60 years since formation. They go together with finals like roast lamb and gravy, but no more will it be, a new era next year commences in the amalgamation with Nullawil. The boys sent the colours off in some style, this equating to a prelim. final win with their “grand final” next week, choreographed perfectly against merger partner Nullawil, where a win would see Nully’s season cactus. They wouldn’t, couldn’t but certainly don’t put it past them and on Saturday’s form they’ll enter chock full of confidence. Given their form Saturday and the player quality out on the park it’s somewhat surprising they haven’t finished closer to finals, but some unavailability during the year at critical periods has cost them dearly. Such is life.

Final Score: Wyche Narraport 10.13 (73) d. Birchip-Watchem 9.7 (61).

Best players for Wycheproof-Narraport; Josh Grabowski, Tom Trewin, Koby Hommelhoff, Rob Fawcett, Morgan Fawcett, NicK Grabowski, Health Senior.

For Birchip-Watchem: Ben Edwards, Nic Rippon, Meyrick Buchanan, Austin Dean, Sean Hogan, Jake Noonan.

This article appeared in The Buloke Times, 13 August 2024.

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