Above: Dingley’s Stephen Pitt, number 24, flies across the pack for a telling mark in the final quarter against Springvale.
By Paul Pickering
IT takes an extraordinary game of football to leave a mere onlooker feeling exhausted, but so it was for the 1200-strong crowd that witnessed the extra time epic between Springvale Districts and Dingley at Clayton Reserve on Saturday.
Strangely, the result of the match – a three-point win to the Demons – was almost lost in the emotion of this engaging football drama.
As the Demons celebrated a historic victory, it was Dingoes playing coach Adam Quinn who stood before his charges to proclaim, “We had 21 winners out here today.”
Not even Quinn’s coaching counterpart Stephen Hughes would begrudge him that claim after the Dingoes rallied from a 22-point deficit to level the scores at full-time.
But it was Hughes’ Demons who maintained their poise in the 10-minute extra-time period to escape with a famous victory.
The game started with a flurry of high marks and jaw-dropping goals from both sides, leading to a seven-goal-to-four first quarter for the minor premiers.
The headline act for the Demons was provided by mountainous ruckman Darin ‘Big Show’ Joyce, who delighted the crowd with all the tricks of a nimble midfielder.
Quinn demanded that his Dingoes become more accountable in the second term, calling upon his senior players to make a physical impact on the contest.
They tried, but it was the Demons who came off best in a brutal term that made casualties of Dingoes Joel Gray, Paddy Edwards and Steve DeBolfo.
Gray suffered a pinched nerve in his back after landing heavily from a contest at half-forward, before Edwards was stretchered from the same spot after being polaxed by Demons midfielder Gavin Vassallo.
Minutes later, DeBolfo’s stunning season came to a premature end with a broken collarbone.
With the tension reaching breaking point in the third term, an impromptu appearance from a streaker provided the comic relief for a captive audience.
Reduced to 18 fit players, the brave Dingoes made an emotion-charged comeback in the last quarter – led by on-ballers Clinton Brookes and Jai Smith and change ruckman Stephen Pitt.
Dingley surged to the lead on the back of Bret Lavars’ fifth goal midway through the term, but when Demon Mark Charles wrenched the ball away from a Dingley defender and snapped truly in the dying moments, the scoreboard was frozen at 118 points apiece.
With both sides running on empty in the extra period, Springvale Districts’ finals experience shone through as it forced the ball forward to register three vital behinds.
Quinn, though, was full of praise for his inexperienced and undermanned side.
“I’ve said before that playing with heart and spirit is sometimes better than ability, and they showed plenty of spirit on Saturday,” he said.
And while Hughes was disappointed with the Demons’ final-quarter fade-out, he also praised the spirit of his charges.
“A few of the boys thought we had them and the foot went off the gas,” he said.
“But I thought we showed a lot of spirit it getting back in front.
“I suppose it was an ideal situation in that it didn’t cost us but we learnt a valuable lesson.
“In a final, you have to go 100 per cent all the way or it’ll come back to bite you.”
As Quinn confirmed, Saturday’s loss will be all the motivation needed for the Dingoes to bite back at the Demons on grand final day.
First, though, they will have to account for Caulfield in Saturday’s preliminary final at Clayton Reserve.
