Banyule coach Pete Davey is proud his side’s hard work is reaping benefits after downing previously unbeaten A Plus Labour Solutions Division 2 ladder-leader Eltham.
The Panthers suffered their first loss of the 2018 season in Round 16, falling by 28 points to the Bears – who remain in third place on percentage, having won five of their past six games.
Davey lauded his side’s performance and believes the confidence built from the victory will continue to benefit the club’s development as it looks towards a finals berth.
“When you put the work in and you put the planning in and you just see it come off, it’s exciting,” Davey told NFNL.org.au.
“To see the excitement on the players’ faces afterwards and being in the rooms was amazing. The song was the second best I’ve ever heard it after the Grand Final last year.
Banyule have had opportunities to snatch victory off Eltham in earlier stages throughout the season.
The Bears led by eight points at three quarter time in Round 2 before falling by 19 points. They then lost by a point in Round 10, following a goal to Panthers wingman Tom Rogers on the final siren.
With those results in mind, Davey sensed the opportunity for his side to come away with victory, provided they kept to their structures.
“Each time we’ve played them, for whatever reason we seem to match up well against Eltham,” he said.
“Our mindset coming in was that they probably wouldn’t have hated to lose one and we just wanted to be in the game with a good chance to win.
“We have certainly got a plan that we stick to. We think it can be pretty hard to beat and it will at least keep us in the game against them, so we stuck to that again on Saturday.
“I spoke to Kingy [Eltham coach Paul King] after the game and just said to don’t be too disappointed about that going into finals. Having a loss is probably not the worst thing in the world.
“But we were certainly playing well enough to get the points.”
Banyule looks to be one win away from becoming the first reigning Division 3 premier to play Division 2 finals the following season.
Davey said the club had the belief it could compete in the higher grade from all the way back in pre-season.
“We’ve got such a young group and they enjoyed winning games so much that they just do the extra stuff to ensure they keep that success going. Winning becomes a much better motivator then losing would be,” he said.
“Once you have a taste of it, you want more of it and that has been a real driver for the guys.
“We had our pre-season camp in Echuca earlier this year and I threw it up to the guys to what their key pillars are going to be for the year. They came up with selflessness, integrity and discipline.
“They’ve become the three things that we really pride ourselves on and judge ourselves on each week and I think that is why we are successful.
Despite missing the past three matches, one of the leaders in Banyule’s strong campaign has been former Essendon midfielder Brent Stanton.
Stanton has only played the eight games this season but has kicked 11 goals and has been one of the best players on the ground on four occasions.
Davey believes Stanton’s off-field presence has an even bigger influence on the club than his on-field performances and believes he will be a real advantage come finals time.
“I think we are a five-better goal side when he is on the ground and that can be even without him touching the footy,” Davey said.
“We’re all on the same page with what we need from him and what he can offer and him being on the ground being a coach, setting up zones and directing midfielders where to run to is just incredible.
“He can come off the ground with five kicks and we are still a much better side with him out there.”
James Kroussoratis continues to be a match-winner, outlined by his six-goal haul in the victory over Eltham. The A Plus Labour Solution Division 2 leading goal kicker has been a vital source for the Bears, with 55 majors.
His ability to be equally as influential through the midfield has also been a strong asset and is something Davey is more satisfied with than anything.
“His season has been phenomenal, he is just doing everything that we are asking him to do”, Davey said.
“He’s kicking goals, but he also spends 30 percent of his time in the midfield.
“He’s probably getting 20-plus touches a week on top of his goals. Everyone sees the goals he kicks each week, but they don’t really understand what he is doing from a team point of view.
“He could kick 100 goals in any other side, but he is just doing what we need him to do and it is a real credit to him.”
Banyule hosts the Fitzroy Stars this week before a tough battle against second-placed Lower Plenty in the final round of the home and away season.
Despite heading into this week’s game as a red-hot favourite, Davey is still weary of what is required in the last two games of the season.
“At the moment we are still not guaranteed a spot in the finals and we need to win this weekend to actually guarantee our spot in there,” he said.
“From a maintenance point of view, it does give us a chance to freshen a couple of guys up if we need to in that last round.
“But regardless of who we play against, they’re always going to be putting their front foot forward and pushing for a win regardless of who we are up against.”
