Omeo Benambra looks set to claim its first Omeo District senior football premiership since 2007 after thrashing Lindenow South in last Saturday’s qualifying final at the Omeo Recreation Reserve by 98 points.
The Omeo and Benambra football clubs amalgamated at the start of season 2007 and tasted ultimate football glory with a premiership in its first season, but despite looking likely at times to add to the mantlepiece, the next flag has never arrived.
The two clubs have won a staggering 54 senior football premierships between them.
There was plenty of hype post-game in regard the composition of the current Omeo Benambra outfit, with coach Josh Piper upbeat that it could be competitive with East Gippsland’s better outfits.
Rain threatened as the two sides took to the field with plenty of eyes on the big match ups, not surprisingly Mitch Neal was given the job on the competition’s leading goalkicker, Harry Warfe, with Swampies stalwart Alfie Solomon given the huge task of opposing one of the best footballer’s the region has produced in the past two decades, James Gibbs.
Determined South backman and defensive stopper, Dan Howe, lined up in the goal square beside former Brisbane Lions player Ryan Harwood, who has caused plenty of headaches for opposition defenders on his shooting trips to Victoria over the past 18 months.
Brad Pedder charged at Campbell Ahsam at the first ruck contest, as Jordan Robertson, Piper and creative left footer Ross Ansaldi looked to shark the first tap for the Alpine Ranges, opposed to Swampies veteran Russ White, gun Nathan Pollard and Will O’Keefe.
Pedder would take the centre bounces, before dropping a kick behind player to try and get in the space of the leading Omeo forwards.
The big man was up and about early, trying to make plenty of physical presence on his opponents, giving away several crude free kicks.
His lack of game time showed in the second half, limping from the ground in the third term in obvious discomfort from a leg injury, with plenty of doubt on his availability for this week’s preliminary final against a revitalised reigning premier Swifts Creek.
Ahsam shared the ruck duties with young Joshua Jeff and they gave Omeo first use of the ball from start to finish.
The Swampies got the first of the match when Jordan Hack (four goals) marked after an advantage from a holding free in the middle of the ground, but they had to wait considerable time for their next, as the Ranges piled on seven unanswered majors to lead by 37 points at quarter time.
Harwood kicked the first after being found by the creative Daniel Jones, while Billy Cook goaled shortly after, rewarded for being prepared to put his head over the ball.
His guts and determination earned the praise of teammates and spectators regularly throughout the afternoon.
Piper was running wild in the middle, finding Warfe (five) for his first of the afternoon, which followed up shortly after with another after finding too much space close to goal.
Hayward kicked his second shortly after as the Ranges ran rampant, selling some candy and running through 50 to kick truly.
Gibbs (six), who had been relatively quiet early in the term, then decided it was his time to show that even in his 40s he still has it, marking and goaling on three occasions from the 30-35 metre range, one a mark of the year contender which agitated Pedder and caused a brief break as tempers became frayed.
At centre half back Chris Wheeler was proving almost impossible for the Swampies to pass, taking plenty of marks or bringing it to ground where players such as James Cottrell, Todd Redenbach, Riley Steenholdt and Brent Hartnell quickly cleared it into the hands of the Piper and Aiden Hayward (three) who was running rampant at half forward with no opponent in sight.
Regrouping at the first change, the Swampies came out with some purpose after an inspiring quarter time speech from coach Sam Howden, who challenged them to beat the odds.
Pollard got the ball in quickly from a clearance where Hack read the pack best kicking his second and lifting the spirits.
But their joy was short-lived as Harwood kicked another from a free in the goal square, before Jones found Gibbs who had very little trouble slotting his forth.
Lindenow South wasn’t shirking the issue and challenged the Ranges with intensity in the first 10 minutes of the term, Hack marking and kicking his third.
Eventually Omeo again worked on top and found the space that is the feature of their game, ramming home the final five goals of the term to open up a massive 72-point lead by half time, with the Omeo and Benambra faithful already turning their attention to premiership glory and a possible dynasty.
Gibbs kicked another to start the third, followed by Warfe who was hit up by Harwood, the big three forwards combining superbly in the open spaces of the Ranges home ground.
Jones, after having a hand in several majors, finally got his name on the scoresheet, while Cook showed he was as skilled as he was gutsy, a brilliant pick up allowing crowd favourite Cody Graske to kick a goal.
Warfe’s fourth for the half culminating a near perfect half of football for the home side.
The intensity and hardness certainly went out of the game in the second half, but there was still plenty of skill on display as the Ranges pushed on towards a targeted 100-point win.
The third quarter was the Swampies’ best for the match as they added three goals but were still outscored by the classy Ranges, who banked four of their own.
Warfe showed he was just as lethal from long range kicking the first of the term from outside 50, before Mel Irish got on the board for the Swampies.
A cleaver crumbing goal from Corey Pescod got the Lindenow South supporters up and about, before Hayward again found himself without an opponent and replied.
Coach Piper replaced Warfe forward and was quickly among the goal scorers as Gibbs combined with Harwood, the former Bairnsdale skipper kicking his sixth.
Hack narrowed the margin to 75 points on the three quarter time break when he goaled off the ground. He looked dangerous all day, but unfortunately had to move to centre half forward in the second half as his side struggled to get it deep inside the forward 50 at times.
Piper was his usual upbeat self at the final change, declaring it was party time and the last quarter was all about fun.
The Ranges kicking another five goals to two in the final term as they began to put the key players on ice for the season finale in 14 days.
Gibbs, Harwood, Graske, Ahsam and Warfe all spent considerable time on the pine.
Harwood kicked three goals for the term before finally agreeing to take a spell.
The margin got out over 100 points, but a late goal to Irish restored it to 97.
Good players were plentiful for Omeo, led by Cook and Hayward, who both played the games of their lives.
Wheeler and Cottrell were impenetrable, Ansaldi and Piper oozed class, while Gibbs, Harwood and Warfe finished the hard work with poise and efficiency.
And that’s probably down playing the performances of Robertson, Hartnell, Jones, Redenbach and Ahsam.
Hack and Pollard were standouts for the Swampies, who were beaten in almost every position on the ground, leaving the ground sore and sorry, with the big task to come up for the clash with Swifts Creek.
UNDER 16
In the junior match minor premier Omeo Benambra easily eclipsed Swan Reach, winning convincingly by 75 points.
The Swans could only muster one goal in the first half as the young Ranges piled on seven, led by Hunter Crane (five) and Colten Pendergast (four).
Poor kicking at goal by Omeo in the second half kept the margin under 100 points as they accumulated 29 shots at goal to just four.
Pendergast, Crane, the strong marking Rayden Pooley, Beau Wrigley, Jack Plowman and Charlie Pahl were all standouts for the young Ranges.
Beau Newman, Jhye Ritchie, Xavier Pepper, Brayden Meyer, Noah Gorely, Ty Joiner and Riley Jakins, who kicked two goals all tried hard for the Swans.
