By Jonty Ralphsmith
Doveton Doves coach Michael Cardamone said that there has been fire in his belly in each of the nine weeks between the club’s two clashes with East Brighton this season.
The first game between the teams saw Doveton lose by 92 points in one of the club’s worst performances of recent times.
For the majority of the bout at Reid Oval on the weekend, East Brighton held the scoreboard advantage.
It took until the final quarter for the Doves prime ball movers to give them the upper-hand.
Lots of players had key plays late in the game to turn the tide Doveton’s way after it had been a tight tussle all day.
Sam Muirhead won some crucial one-on-ones in the back half.
James Gascard took some big marks as he was a barometer up forward.
Max Sheppard pinch-hit in the ruck inside 50 and kicked a goal from stoppage.
“We knew if we could match their physicality, we could defend their back six,” Cardamone said, his team having conceded 18 goals in their April meeting.
Midfielders Jake Basa and Shannon Henwood helped the Doves get first hands on it and win clearances by four.
“All day, it was about holding onto our momentum and taking our chances,” Cardamone said of the game, where the lead either way never stretched beyond three goals.
“It might not be your day, but you’ve got to take your moment.”
The win extended the streak to seven wins, with several factors behind the turnaround.
Returning personnel since the 1-3 beginning has been crucial.
Dylan Chapman has been named in the best in five of the seven games since he’s returned.
Henwood’s final quarter goal against the Vampires on the run typified his repeated ability to stand up in big moments since he’s returned this season.
Former skipper Matt Stapleton and 2019 league medallist Will Smith have both returned to the Doves outfit in the last three weeks.
In Stapleton, Doveton has an on-field general in the back half, and Smith provides outside flair to complement the hardness of the inside midfielders, which underpins the Doves’ identity.
The coaching staff backing Jack Muirhead to match-up on Tom Lamb again after the ex-AFL player kicked six on him early in the season gives an insight into the paradigm of their success.
Lamb kicked one goal on Saturday.
They prioritise continuity, giving players a clear mind to perform, in turn building confidence and creating a strong team environment.
Matt Stapleton referenced it after returning from retirement.
“You can’t replicate local footy, particularly that environment at Doveton – there’s nothing else like it,” he said.
“If we can improve across the board and I can help in any which way, I will.
“Being out there is a hands-on way of helping my teammates be better players.”
Therein lays the understanding of individual roles within the club which propel success.
Young defenders Deekon Stapleton and Dylan Bayley, the talented Brodie Howie, returning from an ACL injury, and winger Josh Finnegan have all entered the team and immediately contributed.
Each played limited, if any, senior footy last year, but at least one of them has been among the best in seven of the 11 games in 2023, Howie touted around the club as a decade-long senior player.
Their rise this season has mirrored that of the team’s.
“Do we have more confidence than we did in round two? Absolutely,” Cardamone said.
“They remain the team to beat, they’re a class act, but we’ve shown our best is good enough.”
