THOMASTOWN scored an emphatic 79-point win over Reservoir in the Division 3 grand final at Epping Recreation Reserve.
The Bears led from go to whoa and won every quarter in the 17.16 (118) to 5.9 (39) result.
The Thomastown faithful were elated as acting captain Jason Abela held the premiership cup aloft.
“It was a terrific win for the whole club,” a jubilant Thomastown coach Dean Sinclair said.“And we have won the right to go into the second division.”
It was in second division – in 2008 – that Sinclair coached the Bears to their previous flag.
He was delighted with the work of the defenders Andrew Lozanovski and Luke Fellows. They limited the effectiveness of their opponents Leigh Sullivan and David McGregor, and also gave the Bears drive from half back.
Sashe Spirovski kept Ashley Flavel to two goals and also used his pinpoint passing to find team mates further afield.
Indeed, Thomastown regularly transferred the play smoothly from deep in defence into the forward 50m. By contrast, the Mustangs regularly turned the ball over when attempting to do likewise.
Sinclair labelled his team’s first quarter as “sensational”. It turned out to be extremely important, given the quirky nature of the fixture, with Thomastown taking an 18-point lead into the quarter time break.
The grand final was Reservoir’s ninth game without a break – following their round 13 bye. In that time, Thomastown had a bye in rounds 14 and 18 – and then earned the week’s rest after a big win in the first week of the finals.
In retrospect, the Mustangs probably needed to win that first final to give themselves a much-needed rest. Alternatively, they needed to surge ahead early in the grand final.
The Bears had a plethora of winners all over the ground. Whenever the Mustangs managed to shut one dangerous player down, another bobbed up.
Reservoir managed to restrict Thomastown’s David Folino, but Shannon Ball was extremely dangerous across the midfield.
He was ably assisted by Matthew Cupo – who was later awarded the medal for the best player in the big match – as well as Jack Dundon and Daniel Chadwick.
Reservoir got some drive through the middle from Liam Ryan, Daniel Couwenberg and Danny O’Sullivan.
Michael Mannix was originally assigned to Folino, but then did well when moved back as a loose man in defence.
Dylan Fuller was electrifying early for Thomastown. But Danny Delcanho was moved onto him and gradually began to quell his influence.
Mustang defender Richard Collins did a reasonable job on Anthony Calafiore, keeping him to a solitary goal.
But the Bears had nine individual goal-kickers. Michael Khoury managed a goal each quarter. His major in the final term came after a spectacular mark from behind.
“Thomastown was well coached all year,” Reservoir assistant coach Leon Edwards said. “The rest helped them. They think quickly and back themselves; our kicks missed the targets today.”
While the mood was sombre in the Reservoir rooms after the game, their reserves had an impressive win over South Morang. The speedy Kelsey Clayton made a strong case for senior selection in 2015 with a best on ground performance, which included three goals.
Thomastown looks well placed to be a force in second division next season. They are replaced in third division by Epping – who were in first division as recently as 2013.
Reservoir senior coach Ross Terranova noted that the Bears were harder at the ball and cleaner in their disposal. In his speech during the official presentation, he stressed how proud he was of the whole club.
Despite their disappointing end to the day, the Mustangs were a great team in 2014 and look well placed to challenge again next season.
Final score: Thomastown 17.16 (118) def Reservoir 5.9 (39)
