In dramatic scenes a brave Birchip-Watchem held out the surging Sea Lake-Nandaly Tigers by an oh so tight 2 point margin.
The Bulls stormed into North Central’s grand final in a thrilling second semi-final where the scoreboard clock, brightly illuminated and counting down, still showed 2 minutes to play as the siren sounded at Donald’s Goff Letts oval.
Bonkers mad, supporters stunned with all eyes on the clock, players out on their feet exhausted, just that sort of day, Bulls home with a glorious victory; one for the ages.
The contest, hotter than a jalapeno’s armpit, went down to the wire in a quite unbelievable last quarter, where the Bulls began with a 4-goal margin. However the Tigers kicking with a gale force (which quite literally would have blown dogs off their chains) and with 12 minutes still left on that errant clock had reined in the Bulls’ lead to be only 2 points down with all the momentum and the wind at their backs. Game as good as over – nah, the Bulls just dug deep, real deep to record an extraordinary win – got to be one of their best ever.
In the face of adversity the Bulls stood tall, their back six defenders under huge pressure with an avalanche of ball being peppered inwards as the Tigers tried to find a way through the big sticks. They had posted 3 unanswered goals in the space of 10 minutes and appeared in cruise control, their midfield streaking clear, just a matter of time which they had loads of to kick clear and take their place in the Big Dance. They had chances, plenty of, just a desperate Bulls’ defence kept thwarting their efforts. Veteran Jake Noonan at full-back was enormous for the Bulls, his reading of the ball uncanny with two particular saves, cool as a cat.
Tyson McKenzie who was dominant after half-time stormed in from half forward with an almost clear path at goal, but instead chose to handball to Josh Jenkins 25 metres out, where a swathe of Bulls just lunged at him with his high hook shot being touched right on the goal line by Noonan’s fingertips. First “certain” goal saved, five minutes left on the clock, Tigers only 2 points down, relieved Bulls supporters sucked it in and then again with “three minutes” left on the clock, Jenkins let sail from outside fifty, having marked the ball with no one seemingly within 10 metres of goal, before Noonan out of nowhere again bobbed up to mark the ball right on the line. Huge save, how much more tension could there be? High stakes, Bulls just resolute still holding the Tigers out but 2 minutes and 30 seconds still to go seemingly.
Noonan’s kick to Darcy Reid in the back pocket, pressure from a Tiger, Reid a handball back to Noonan, Bulls in all sorts, 2 minutes on the clock but the timekeepers had the clearer picture and blew the siren.
Supporters from both sides just stunned, Bulls home by the barest of margins, how was that possible? High theatre indeed. Apparently the rationale behind the clock fiasco (and let’s be frank it was a fiasco) the clock was simply set at 30 minutes counting down with the clock not taking any account of time-on, whereas the timekeepers accurately keep this. With stakes so high it just can’t be allowed to happen again. Perhaps the solution is to simply have the clock start at zero and count the minutes, then players especially can’t determine what they believe to be left to play but they will at least clearly see how many minutes they have played.
Despite the horrendous conditions, only rain could have made it worse, a gale howling down the ground from west to east it was a high class spectacle. A tough, tough encounter, no quarter given by either side, 42 desperate players, some fantastic skills on show and then the quite unbelievable finish. Fitting for these sides of such high calibre, in a short space of time they already have a healthy disregard for each other, a rivalry that would normally be decades in the making, in reality just 2 very proud Mallee football clubs with an indefatigable spirit that love to win, who both enjoy solid community support, football is their lifeblood after all.
Captain Dale Hinkley won the toss and elected to kick with the wind, but it proved difficult to master and just kicking it long wasn’t working. The Bulls were unable to plug the big sticks, just peppered the points. The centre battle was always going to prove crucial and so it proved to be. The ruck contests between Bulls’ man mountain Hamish Hosking, supported by another mountain in Loch Sirett up against Peter Pan, Ryan O’Sullivan, who refuses to grow old, backed up by up-and-comer Connor Michael whetted the appetite and were just unrelenting. Hosking used his huge strength to hold out O’Sullivan with good effect before being flattened midway through the second quarter, plenty of feeling in this match. Michael did well throughout, winning his fair share of the ruck contests to provide some ball to his fleet of midfielders.
Both sides have wonderful midfield groups, the Tigers with the Donnan brothers Trent and Wade, Tyson McKenzie, coach Bryce Delmencio and an out and out young gun Thomas Cox (take a bow young man), still a teenager, he was the outstanding player all day, best on ground and he literally had the ball on a string, kept his side within striking distance in the first half and then with McKenzie, almost won the game for his beloved Tigers with a storming second half. Able to work the lines and hunted the ball like a cheetah chasing gazelles, relentless, he was unstoppable, racked up the effective possessions; some game he delivered.
Opposed to this quintet were Nic Rippon, brother Marshal missing though, with Pat Veszpremi, “Mud” Buchanan, Daniel Bell, Sam Simmons, Jack Lee in his 100th club game and making an almost miracle appearance in and under magnet Stefan Pye, who hadn’t played for 12 weeks having suffered what was thought a season ending foot injury early in the year. Sometimes fortune favours the brave and the Bulls took a calculated risk which somehow paid off.
Hosking delivered first advantage and the Bulls’ troop gobbled up the opportunity, but bombed it in too often where their forwards had trouble grasping the inward ball. To be fair, it just wasn’t a day for marking forwards, Buchanan and Veszpremi noticeable with their ball use and winning possessions. Lach Ryan got the opening goal scooping a loose ball before Brody Weir replied for Tigers, dour contest early, the ball mostly stuck down in the Bulls’ attacking arc and with every player on the ground parked forward of the centre square. Even Tiger big gun forward JJ was planked on the Bulls’ goal line, the Tigers happy to have it so congested making goals difficult to come by for the Bulls. The gale wasn’t proving to be such an advantage.
Then from nowhere Joe Reid, he too back from a layoff, jigged and jagged around two in the goalsquare to post the Bulls’ second and then followed with another for the Bulls’ third before siren time. Kane Donnan was wearing Bulls’ key goalkicker Ben Edwards closer than Dracula’s glove, he parked on 97 season goals before the game. Bustling Bill McInnes, previously a key forward, had marked up Loch Sirett with Charlie Cox looking after Reid before the Tigers changed up their go to defender, Luke Martin, to cover Reid with his two early goals.
Was 3 goals 6 points enough to start with having had the advantage of the gale force? It didn’t seem that way to those watching on, but they weren’t out on the park playing in the conditions; horrible day not getting any better, the wind continued unabated, dogs in the sky on their chains. Tigers would be pleased to hold the Bulls to just the 3 goals, now their turn to tame the gale.
With Hosking controlling the hitouts and Buchanan particularly taking advantage, the Bulls pushed forward to kick off the second and within minutes had hit up Edwards who duly obliged from just 30 metres out, before Peter Pan unleased a long bomb old fashioned “barrel” from the centre square that miraculously bounced through. Plenty of life left in Sully’s legs still, tensions rising as well, a number of spotfires happening across the park, no surprise the Donnan lads in the thick of it, competitive beasts and the Bulls dishing up the pressure. It wasn’t a day for pretty football, just a dour contest, the Bulls relentless at the ball and ball carrier, their defence well on top whenever the ball came in, Angus Butterfield down back reading it better than anybody, just found himself with ball in hand often and executed beautifully by foot on the way out. Noonan with the herculean task of manning constant matchwinner Jenkins and well up for the task he was, Jenkins crashing the packs but unable to drag in the ball with Noonan constantly in close contact. Lach McClelland was their most dangerous forward, a running target across half forward with Hinkley trying to rein him in, like the Bulls in the first stanza, the Tigers had difficulty slotting the big sticks.
A downfield free kick provided an easy shot in front for Edwards edging closer to the magical 100, only 20 players in North Central history hitting this figure, and then in their best piece of play for the day the Bulls went coast to coast through a series of short kicks and handballs from deep in their backline, Buchanan the link, before hitting up a rampant Edwards who ran in to score his 100th, his first ever. Some season he has had, 3 goals into the breeze all of this own foot and the Bulls out to a game high 4-goal lead before Max Cahoon slotted a late one to bring the game back to an 18-point ball game come the long break.
Coach Ryan was vocal at the break, rapt with his charges’ endeavour and heat at the contest, but he emphasised it was just one half and duly reminded his group that they were in the same situation in an earlier home-and-away game and got blown away by the talented Tigers. The relentless pressure had to continue if they were to keep their noses in front, but they also had to lower the eyes and use the ball better with the breeze.
Nic Rippon, a little quiet at this stage of the game by his lofty standards, lifted as the second half began, running harder and to more spots, hard to keep a good man down, snagged a textbook tapdown from Hosking at a half forward ruck contest and then ran in to score the Bulls opener. And off to a flyer they were, up and about as were their supporters, plenty going on the Donald hill as voices started rising noticeably, ah yes the rivalry healthy and loud. Jackson McMahon replied for the Tigers with a good strike into the teeth of the gale before Thomas Cox raced in to nab another, he was literally keeping them in the contest, time for the Tigers to roar. Some contest, still jalapeno hot.
Buchanan, who was playing a blinder, showed his teammates how to strike a ball with a 60 metre set shot sailing through and then Edwards, tucked tight up against the boundary, kicked a Hail Mary into the clouds to see it sail through. Then Rippon again dodging and weaving snuck another, Bulls with the ascendancy, 5 goals out and full of run before McKenzie raced the ball forward where McMahon, who was asserting himself in the contest, dragged in a superb contested mark amongst a clutch of Bulls’ players, then duly slotted it to bring it back to a 4-goal game at the last change. Was 4 goals enough for the Bulls to hang on? A gale still blowing, the Tigers had certainly lifted, Martin was imposing himself across their defence, cool, sure and safe, McKenzie was running everywhere, able to shake tackles at will, great use of hips and then able to accelerate off a step as was Thomas Cox.
Wade Donnan got them off to a flyer, a sensational snap from out of half forward in the second minute of play, fist pumping their crowd, before the Bulls, winning the centre clearance, forced the ball forward. There a running Bell judged it beautifully off the pack to run in and score. What a game. Bonkers it was and then a dour struggle for the next 8 minutes, Hosking shouldering the contests, the Bulls’ back six just hitting up the contest, Hinkley who copped a bake from his coach at half-time lifting and back to his elusive cool best, able to find the ball on the deck and hit a player further afield.
Then Cox and McKenzie unleashed. They both had racked up the possessions and delivered in front of goal, Cox first with a running goal before McKenzie struck a beautiful set shot from 55 metres out that sailed through post high. He might have been quiet in the first half but he was imposing himself on the contest now. Bulls supporters’ hearts were sinking, it looked like Tigers were running over them. With the umpire caught out of position, McClelland was awarded the softest of frees just 15 metres out, dead in front and he made no mistake with 12 minutes left, Bulls flat on their feet.
The ball just stayed parked in the Tigers’ fifty arc, ball up after ball up, relentless contest, Hosking swatting away Jenkins, he’s a beast, Tigers peppering the goal line but couldn’t get it through. McKenzie another shot from outside 60m, just short, then JJ’s muffed 25 metre out before his last set shot from outside 50 metre marked on the line by Noonan. And then the siren. Oh boy, what a game. Bulls into the granny, Tigers to face a resurgent Wedderburn next week.
Whilst a fantastic victory for the Bulls, it isn’t the grand final and the wily Ryan has been around way too long to let his charges get ahead of themselves, but they are in it to win it now. Their back six has been brilliant all year as they were Saturday, special mention to Noonan, he’s played very little footy since 2019, yet took the scalp of matchwinner Jenkins who didn’t manage a goal. That’s hardly likely to happen again. And to think as their club president said after the game, they searched high and dry across the county to find a full-back that might be able to contain JJ, and they had one right under their nose in the back yard at Tchum Lake.
The Tigers will rue their missed opportunities, they had the momentum in the last quarter but just couldn’t close it out, the clock situation not helping. They get the chance to redeem themselves next week against the ’Burners to get another crack at the Bulls, which they will relish. They are a ripper side and it will be a surprise if they are not there in two weeks’ time. A North-Central season for the ages just keeps getting more intriguing.
Final scores: Birchip-Watchem 11.9 (75) def Sea Lake-Nandaly 10.13 (73).
Best players for Birchip-Watchem: Angus Butterfield, Lach Ryan, Meyrick Buchanan, Daniel Bell, Nic Rippon, Hamish Hosking, Jake Noonan.
Sea Lake-Nandaly: Thomas Cox, Wade Donnan, Luke Martin, Tyson McKenzie, Jack Poulton, Charlie Cox.
This article appeared in The Buloke Times, 3 September 2024.