BANYULE was crowned the Division 3 reserves premiers after surviving a nail-biting encounter against Epping at the Whittlesea Showgrounds.
Scores were level with two minutes to play before a Banyule behind and then a goal to player-coach Josh O’Connor sealed the 8.6 (54) to 6.11 (47) victory.
Despite the defeat, Epping’s Michael Kruze won the medal for being the best on ground. Kruze played an inspiring game, keeping his team in the contest all day.
The Whittlesea Showgrounds hosted a fantastic atmosphere with the crowd’s passion and excitement being evident throughout the entire match.
Both teams were very hard at the contest in the first quarter. The fierce attack at the ball meant it wasn’t until the eight-minute mark before Tore Valvo snapped the first goal of the match.
The Blues soon responded with some good team play which set up Mark Bennett‘s first major.
At quarter time it was all square at seven-points apiece. Epping coach Leigh Tarrant was happy with the Blues’ intensity, however reminded his team to “slow down” and to make “good decisions inside 50” in the second term.
In the second quarter, the Blues started well. They were taking some crucial contested marks around the ground and they were rewarded with Paul Dempsey kicking his first of the match.
Banyule then started to make an impact in the quarter. Goals in quick succession from Valvo and Shaun McKenzie put the Bears in front halfway through the second. Heath McDonald then slotted home his first to extend the Bears lead to 11 points as half time.
In the third quarter, Epping again started the term well. Brendan Kostas kicked a crucial goal early before Cameron Brown just got his foot onto the ball on the goal line to give Epping the lead.
But the Blues again let the lead slip. Mark Smith kicked a crucial goal to get the momentum back for the Bears before McKenzie kicked his second and Valvo put away his third major.
Epping had the opportunity to be in front heading into three quarter time however its inaccuracy in front of goal meant it trailed by 13 points heading into the final break.
Banyule player-coach Josh O’Connor urged his team to keep up its intensity levels in the final term. He told his teammates that he wanted “25 minutes of the hardest and toughest football you have ever played”.
The last quarter was a tense one that kept the entire crowd on their toes.
Epping’s Dean Ferguson kicked the first goal of the quarter to reduce the margin to just eight points. Not too long after Banyule lost Mark Lardo to a yellow card and suddenly the momentum was all with the Blues.
Kostas then got a free kick and slotted home his second to make it a one-point ball game. The atmosphere was intensifying around the whole ground and the scores soon went level.
Late in the game with the scores tied, Banyule was able to find a way to kick a point to lead with just two minutes remaining. Soon after, O’Connor had the ball in his hands and he made no mistake in front of goal to give his side the victory.
O’Connor led by example for his side, playing some great football and providing many opportunities for his teammates. Valvo and McKenzie were also important for the Bears, kicking five goals between them to keep the scoreboard ticking over.
As well as Kruze, Lewis Harry and Kostas played strong games for the Blues to feature in their side’s best players.
Final score: Banyule 8.6 (54) def Epping 6.11 (47)
