Deer Park’s excruciating 18-year wait for a Western Region Football League division 1 grand final appearance is over.
The Lions won their way to their first season decider since 1995
with a 90-point slaughter of Sunshine Kangaroos in the preliminary final
at Chirnside Park on Saturday.
PICTURE GALLERY: Deer Park v Sunshine Kangaroos preliminary final
The minor premier set up a showdown with Spotswood at Watton
Street on Saturday – and it will not be the first time these two sides
have been combatants in the big one.
They met in grand finals in back-to-back seasons in the mid-1990s,
with the Lions ruling in 1994 but the Woodsmen gaining revenge in 1995.
But the Woodsmen hold a 3-1 all-time advantage, having beaten the Lions in 1990 and 1938, when Deer Park operated as ICI.
This is the match-up that best represents the 2013 season – the top-ranked Lions against the in-form Spotswood.
Lions player-coach Marc Bullen said there could be no tougher
challenge for his side in the quest for a first top-tier flag in 19
years.
“Spotswood is a fantastic side and a fantastic club,” he said. “To
make seven grand finals in a row is probably unheard of in metropolitan
football.”
Deer Park is riding high on confidence after culling the Kangaroos.
The Lions came out firing after being jolted by Spotswood in the semi-final.
Their running game clicked from the outset and pressure around the contest had the Roos flinching on occasions.
“We have a key emphasis on what we call our three P’s – pressure,
pressure and pressure,” Bullen said. “I thought our pressure around the
footy was first-class.”
Lions small forward Josh Jones served up a taste of things to come
with the opening two goals of the match inside seven minutes before
Chris Stewart and Luke Guerra made it four unanswered for the red-hot
Lions.
Mitch Hahn scrambled a late goal for the Roos in time-on but the Lions went into the break with a 21-point lead.
It was much the same at the start of the second term, with Deer Park enjoying the bulk of possession.
When Rhett King goaled at the 15-minute mark, the Lions lead was out to 34.
But the Roos showed a rare bit of fight in the 10-minute period
before half-time, dominating the clearances and pegging goals back from
Kieran Murphy and Chris Tripodi.
The Roos trailled by 21 points and were still in with a sniff, although that changed in a heartbeat in the third term.
The Lions ran riot to slam on four goals in six minutes, thanks
largely to purple patches from Kwame McHarg, whose foot speed out of the
congestion was breathtaking, and Heath Ayres and his craftiness inside
50.
The one-way traffic continued for the rest of the game, the Lions
adding 12 unanswered goals before Patrick Wiggins got a consolation
after the final siren.
All 22 Lions played their part.
Onballer Shannon Broadbent was best on ground with his unrelenting
attack for four quarters and his physicality early in the third.
“He leads by example with his actions, getting in, tackling,
chasing, diving on footys,” Bullen said. “He’ll do whatever he can to
get our team to succeed.”
Stewart underlined his status as the premier big man in the
competition, a commanding presence in the ruck and a dependable target
with three goals.
The Lions’ victory was built on defence, and no two players were better in that respect than Jackson Barling and Sam Hunt.
The Lions will have a few headaches at Thursday-night selection
with Bullen and the supremely talented Kevin Klix likely to return for
the grand final.
The first bounce at Chirnside Park is at 2.15pm.
The curtain-raisers will be Altona and Sunshine in the reserves
grand final, from 11.50am, while the under-18s decider will be between
Hoppers Crossing and St Albans from 9.30pm.
