Lindenow has hung on to beat Boisdale Briagolong in a dramatic East Gippsland Football Netball League (EGFNL) grand final at Bairnsdale City Oval last Saturday by six points.
It was the Cats’ ninth senior premiership in the EGFNL and their fifth since 2011. They are now joint record holders with Orbost — who amalgamated with Snowy Rovers in 2002 — one ahead of Bairnsdale, who won eight flags between 2000 and 2010.
The victory came off the back of heroic performances from best-on-ground winner David Donchi, superstar league leading goalkicker Peter Harrison, who kicked six goals, including three in a blistering final term, and Dion Grace in the ruck, who was a constant thorn in the side of Boisdale Briagolong all day.
Lindenow looked set for a comfortable win 13 minutes into the third term when Logan Dunkley snapped a clever goal, opening the margin up to a game-high 26 points. With the Bombers looking at breaking point, the next six minutes saw plenty of drama and a significant change in momentum.
At the next clearance, key Cats midfielder Cameron McPhan was knocked out when he ended up under both ruckmen, who collapsed to the ground at the contest. McPhan had been in a compelling battle with Bomber ace Tom Jolly and was arguably ahead on points, using his exquisite skills to advantage teammates on numerous occasions. Jolly and evergreen Kelvin Porter would subsequently become vital forces for their team over the final quarter and a half.
Shortly after, Lindenow coach Justin Gould was sent off for 15 minutes and reported for striking Porter following a incident spotted by a boundary umpire. Porter caught his breath on the ground before getting up to goal in style from 40 metres on the boundary, reigniting the contest.
With Gould off the field, the Bombers prospered, cutting the margin to just seven points before he returned at the four-minute mark of the final term.
In his absence, Ben Brunt — the Bombers’ best player on the day — goaled from outside 50 metres, reducing the margin to 13 points after Rohan Blandford was penalised for holding the ball. Lachy Carroll (Lindenow) and Jolly (Boisdale Briagolong) both kicked late points in the time-on period of the third term as the Bombers continued to mount a serious challenge.
The margin was back to seven points in the first 90 seconds of the final term as Porter charged through the middle and found Jolly, who kicked to the top of the square where Bomber skipper Jim Reeves was taken high, slotting his second for the day.
Shortly after Gould returned to the fray, Jolly found Reeves, who cleverly went inboard to Nick Marshall, who reduced the margin to a single point after receiving a 50m penalty when he was knocked over after marking uncotested.
Suddenly all the momentum was with the minor premier.
Josh Davis found Jolly hitting top gear and the experienced midfielder kicked truly from 50 metres at the nine-minute mark — bowling over the goal umpire in the process as players gathered on the line — putting the Bombers in front for the first time all day.
They got the next clearance courtesy of Porter forcing the ball forward, where Jolly extended the lead to six points when he missed a difficult snap.
The Bombers looked set for further breathing room shortly after when ruckman Ben Wilkinson marked in the pocket, just 12 metres from goal, but his set shot missed everything to the relief of Lindenow supporters.
The Cats needed a lift. Eenter their two superstars: David Donchi and Peter Harrison.
Donchi was sensational all day, racking up 39 disposals, while Harrison always looked dangerous, kicking three goals in the first three quarters before adding three more in six minutes to ultimately win his side the premiership.
The first came when Donchi received a holding free kick at a stoppage in the back half. A 50-metre penalty brought him within range to hit Harrison, who coolly converted a set shot from outside 50 to level the scores.
Harrison was in the action again less than two minutes later, kicking his fifth major after intercepting a handball to give Lindenow the lead.
Gould provided a two-goal buffer, earning redemption after a great tackle and finish deep in the Morass forward pocket.
Harrison then made it an 18-point game as the clock ticked into time-on, out-marking his opponent Jude Scriven to slot his sixth goal.
Brunt willed the Bombers forward on two occasions before Jordan Stubbe found Reeves, who drew a 50-metre penalty from Josh Onley as he looked to play on. Onley had restricted Reeves to just six possessions for the day —three of which were goals — as the
margin closed to 12 points with four minutes to play.
The final 240 seconds was an intense arm-wrestle before Bomber co-coach Kade Renooy goaled to reduce the margin to six points with seven seconds remaining, but the Cats held firm at the final siren.
MATCH WINNERS
Donchi was sensational over four quarters, Harrison proved the match-winner with six goals, and Dion Grace was exceptional in the ruck. Grace barely lost a ruck contest all afternoon, pairing with Donchi for quality clearances that established Lindenow’s substantial early lead.
Clearances were relatively even across the day. While the Bombers registered seven more inside-50 entries, the quality and depth of the Cats’ forward entries proved decisive, supported by strong work from Grace and Jake Richards in the ruck. Richards kicked two goals in the first quarter and consistently drove the ball forward from stoppages.
Lindenow’s relentless defensive pressure made it difficult for Boisdale’s ball-carriers to hit targets going forward, allowing the Cats to intercept and mark inside their defensive arc.
Logan Dunkley was productive both in the air and on the ground at centre half forward, while Gould led strongly in the first half with courage over the footy.
The Cats’ back six functioned cohesively under the leadership of Josh Lando.
Brunt and Renooy were strong four-quarter performers for the Bombers, breaking lines with run and carry. Porter and Jolly were major catalysts in the second half revival, while Nick Marshall impressed on a wing alongside defensive efforts from Nicoll Sandison, Jackson Glenane and Davis.
CATS’ HOT START
The Cats kicked the first three goals of the game through Harrison and a pair to Richards before Matt Wilkinson opened Boisdale’s account.
McPhan (Lindenow) and Jolly (Boisdale) closed out the opening term with impressive snapped goals under pressure, leaving Lindenow ahead by 13 points at the first break.
Boisdale Briagolong appeared disorganised early, caught with five players on the bench at one stage and lacking a ruckman at a ball-up.
The Bombers rallied early in the second term, with a Reeves goal and Matt Wilkinson’s second bringing them within a point.
However, a superb running goal from Rob Maisey and Harrison’s second restored a 13-point half time buffer for Lindenow.
Harrison’s third and Dunkley’s snap in the third term looked to have put the game beyond reach before the wild late-game twists unfolded.
THE REWARDS
Off-season recruiting paid dividends for Lindenow, with Jake Richards and Grace from Lucknow starring on the big stage, alongside strong contributions throughout the year from fellow recruitments Sam Richards, Dunkley, McPhan and Sam Confait.
Boisdale Briagolong were also huge recruiters, with Brunt and Davis right in the action on grand final day, although Jesse Ross, Will Moon and Andrew McKenzie had difficult days.
Ultimately the Cats proved the better outfit when it counted. They had plenty of stars, but in general terms they stuck to their well-orchestrated game plan and had more significant role players across four quarters.
