By Brad Kingsbury
IT WAS almost unfair when star Cardinia batsman Ben DaRose spanked a looping Chris McConnell offbreak down the ground to win the Agrade grand final.
It was not unfair to his ecstatic teammates or the loyal Bulls supporters and neither was it unfair to McConnell who was in his first over of the game, or to the Kooweerup side that was comprehensively outplayed.
The person who may have felt slightly aggrieved was Cardinia coach and champion batsman Mark Cooper, who carried his bat through the innings to remain 59 notout and, in the perfect scenario, deserved to hit the winning runs.
Of course the prolific lefthanded bladesman would not have given such romantics a second thought as the rest of the side converged on him in the postmatch euphoria that only comes with the ultimate triumph.
Under Cooper’s guidance, Cardinia regrouped after an unhappy 200506 season and showed how all facets of the game should be executed to produce the best result.
Cooper led from the front and is the hot favourite to take out this year’s WGCA champion player award but, as great players often do, credited others with his team’s success.
“The committee worked tirelessly throughout the year and that often goes unnoticed,” he said after the Bulls triumph on Saturday.
“Also, to have a loyal group of supporters that has followed us to every game and barracked for us, whatever the situation, was sensational.
“The players really worked on our oneprecentors after Christmas and they deserve the credit. Results like this are never down to individuals.”
Cooper admitted he had played ‘a few good knocks’ and enjoyed his season on and off the field, but said he thought Cardinia had the potential to be a contender before a ball was bowled.
“One of our goals was definitely to make the grand final. I knew there was a lot of talent in the side, but you still have to perform and the boys did that consistently,” he said.
“The first half of the year I set out to find out what the club had and how ready they were to perform at the top level.
“We played 18 guys through the senior team before Christmas then after the break we tried to settle the side a bit and it worked out well.”
Cooper said he had made no decision on his future with the Bulls as yet, but with his team looking settled and capable of creating an era of sustained success, the temptation to lead that journey will no doubt be hard to resist.
