The fairytale is complete for Westbourne Grammarians in Victorian Amateur Football Association women’s division 3.
Five months ago, even an extreme optimist would have given the first-season Warriors little chance of standing atop the premiership dais at season’s end.
The Warriors did just that on Sunday, over-running Preston Bullants by 11 points in a gripping grand final at Trevor Barker Beach Oval.
Even after the game was won and the premiership cup was hoisted, Warriors coach Emma Pawlowski was pinching herself to make sure it was all real.
“Who would’ve believed it?” she said. “It’s pretty amazing. We still couldn’t believe it when we went back to celebrate at the club.”
Westbourne had come from long odds to swoop on the premiership.
The Warriors began with just eight players at the start of pre-season, but ended up with selection headaches as they got stronger and better by the week. The fast growth can be put down to a successful culture laid out from day dot. Each new player that arrived enjoyed their time at the Sayers Road club.
The word spread and the Warriors were able to build a list just in time to make an incredible run to the finals after starting the season 0-3.
Just as with its season, Westbourne was a slow starter in the grand final.
Kicking into the wind in the first quarter, the Warriors trailed by 10 points at quarter-time. It could have been more had it not been for Preston’s poor kicking for goal, which returned 1.4.
“I was quite nervous,” Pawlowski said. “Their coach had my structure worked out very well and was pretty much playing our game against us.”
Westbourne fought back to have its nose in front by a point at half-time. It, too, could also be accused of being wasteful in front of goal by kicking 1.5 – but at least it was game on.
It was in the third quarter that the Warriors got the edge. They managed to kick the only goal recorded into the breeze through Kim Temuskos, while restricting Preston to just one goal with the wind.
“We came out firing in that third quarter,” Pawlowski said. “We got a goal against the flow and it was the only goal kicked at that end for the game.”
The fourth quarter hung in the balance for the most part – until Westbourne produced a goal worthy of sealing a premiership win.
Ruck Tess Abbott took the ball out of the ruck at half-back and pumped it long into her forward line, where youngster Brianna Herman somehow kept the ball in play.
Herman bravely took on two Preston pursuers and eventually delivered the ball to Lauren Spark in the forward pocket. She kicked the match-winner from a tight angle.
“It was just a miraculous goal,” Pawlowski said.“When that final siren happened, it was like a dream come true. It was pure happiness.”
Victoria Pettit earned best-on-ground honours for Westbourne. Her intercept marking in defence and metres gained in transition were invaluable.
Shannon Colgan’s head-over-the-ball approach was inspiring to her teammates, while Sam Radlof thrived on the contested ball, as she had all season.
Spark’s two goals in tough conditions for scoring proved the difference between the teams.
