ELLINBANK AND DISTRICT FOOTBALL LEAGUE
REVIEW – FINALS WEEK 2
The job isn’t done just yet, but the Nyora faithful finally has a reason to believe.
After years of struggling to string to together wins, season 2018 has been a different story and after defeating Longwarry in a hard-fought semi-final at Darnum on Saturday, the Saints are one win away from EDFL premiership glory.
It hasn’t been an easy road to the grand final – it’s a journey that started towards the end of the 2016 season, when the side’s coach quit with four games to play.
Player Fia Tootoo – a much-loved personality at Nyora – took over the coaching reigns and since that moment, the club has been building.
Despite just four wins last year, there was a sense things were turning around and that there was light at the end of the tunnel.
“We’ve been rebuilding for the last two years and I’ve had a core group of 12 to 14 players that have stuck with me through that process,” Fia Tootoo said.
“We knew we were going to go through some tough times, and we didn’t expect it to come this quickly, but what we’ve done is definitely a reward for all involved.”
That process hasn’t just been rewarding in terms of wins and losses – it has brought the town together and reinvigorated the club.
“Getting to a grand final is a massive thing, but for a club that has been down for so long, it’s even bigger,” he said.
“We’re a very resilient small town and we’re very stubborn that we’re not going to shy away from a challenge.
“It’s an exciting time for us and it’s great that our long-suffering supporters have something to look forward to.”
The two keys up forward – Ben Schultz (57 goals) and Ilan Osman (50 goals) – were brought to the club to kick goals and they’ve done all that and more.
“They’ve been massive for us and with the structure and game plan we have, it heavily involves those two,” he said.
“It’s always nice when you’re running out of the backline knowing you’ve got those targets up forward.”
Tootoo talked about Nyora’s massive preseason as one of the keys to their 9.4 (58) to 6.7 (43) win over Longwarry. Trailing by three points with a quarter to play, Nyora was able to find another gear, kicking three goals to zero in a resounding final term.
“We stuck to what we know best and what we’re good at,” he said.
“Our preseason fitness work came to the fore and I think it showed in the last quarter that when we needed to up the pressure, we were able to do that.”
Ben Schultz booted five majors in a dominant display, while Shaun Beecroft, Sam Burns, Ryan Spooner and Sam Dixon stood up around the ground in the absence of injured captain Dylan Heylen.
For Longwarry, Nick Redley, Cole Cook and Russ Lehman (three goals) impressed despite the loss.
The Crows have another chance to book their place in the big dance and will face the Warragul Industrials in a preliminary final on Saturday at Longwarry.
The Dusties ended Poowong’s magical late season run on Sunday at Buln Buln. In a low-scoring affair, Warragul’s three-goal to zero second term was enough to put some distance between the two sides and they ran out 6.8 (44) to 2.8 (20) winners.
Mitch Davies and Cooper Minichiello starred for the Dusties, while Chris Robinson’s incredibly consistent season for the Pies ended with another fine performance.
Longwarry has defeated the Industrials in all three meetings between the two so far this season. Their most recent battle – a qualifying final just two weeks ago – resulted in a resounding win for Longwarry, 17.8 (110) to 10.10 (70).
Despite that one-sided result, their two meetings in the home away season saw the Crows claim wins by three and five points, so expect this one to go down to the wire with a grand final berth on the line.
