By Marcus Uhe
Five-minute blocks were the focus of Wandin’s attention heading into Saturday’s grand final according to newly-minted premiership coach Nick Adam.
You could hardly wipe the smile off Adam’s face, or get the premiership cup out of his hands, as he basked in the glory of his first premiership as a senior coach after five years.
From early in the preseason Adam described the club as ‘aspirational’, sowing the seeds of ambition for higher honours amongst his playing group after the disappointment of last season’s preliminary final loss to Woori Yallock.
It all came together spectacularly in the 63-point thumping of Narre Warren, securing the club’s ninth senior premiership and etching their names into the honour boards at Clegg Road for eternity.
“It was 2 o’clock and we knew we were going to run out at 2.05, there was almost no noise in the room,” Adam said of the initial five-minute period.
“We talked about that five minutes of togetherness.
“Then there was that last five minutes of a game, the first five minutes of the contest, the first five minutes out there afterwards.
“I’ll never forget that, that sense of jubilation.
“They talk about it, and maybe it’s a cliche, but premierships bind people together across a whole football club and we’re really proud of what we are.”
The Bulldogs charged out of the gate from the opening bounce, Clint Johnson taking the first shot on goal before people had even found their seat in the outer at Officer, before kicking the opening two goals of the contest.
Having absorbed four goals in 10 minutes from Narre, after the initial Wandin flurry, an intercept at halfback from Harrison van Duuren sparked goals late in the term from Aaron Mullett and Cody Hirst to wrestle-back the lead in time-on.
To close the half, it was two five-minute blocks of dominance that saw a one-point deficit midway through the quarter become a crushing five-goal lead at the break.
Where Narre Warren heads slumped and players slowly trotted to the rooms to regroup, Wandin bounded past their opponents as a unit, showing no ill-effects of two extra games.
When the Magpies made their run in the third quarter as everyone knew they would, habits ingrained during the week saw the Bulldogs midfielders station themselves behind the ball to plug the gaps ensuring the margin never dipped below 23 points.
Connor Smith, breaking free of the first centre bounce of the final term and nailing a goal on the run, proved an early dagger in the heart, eclipsing the 100-point barrier that the Magpies’ sturdy defence had only allowed once in 2023.
Rather than be hindered by the extra time on the field in the finals campaign, the Bulldogs were sharpened, fine-tuned and battle tested for everything the Magpies threw at them, answering the call emphatically time after time.
“We felt like that hardened us,” Adam said of the two more finals his side had played compared to Narre Warren.
“Other than the semi against us, they hadn’t really been tested for six, seven, eight weeks.
“To get that continuity in-game, it felt like it impacted really in that first five-10 minutes of the game, I think that’s when it really stands out, when you have been playing.”
While Adam played all the right notes on the day itself, the trust and belief cultivated in the playing group between teammates and from the coaching group down, over a number of years, meant execution was pristine when it mattered most.
Whether it’s allowing a later start to the preseason, on the premise of players ensuring they are right and ready to go in their own time, or fostering the sense of unity through a playing group connected through prior friendships, connections and football experiences, the unity at all levels had them pointing in one direction.
As Adam said on the premiership dais when he thanked the Wandin army, the club comes from a small town but is part of a huge community.
“We have 16 one-point players and we’ve recruited over the last two years, but every player that’s come to the football club has come because of a connection to the playing group,“ he said.
“I’m really purposeful in trying to build out from that.
“We put them in situations where we want to cultivate that sense of community and togetherness, and in moments like this, it makes it all special.”
He credited those behinds the scenes who may not receive the plaudits they deserved for the success, in Football Manager Geoff Bartling, to assistant coach Jon O’Brien, Treasurer Nick Crossland and everyone else who make the club tick behind the scenes.
“It’s a lot of work to put a side together that can then function the way that this side can,“ the proud coach explained.
“I’m forever indebted to all those guys who worked so hard to support me over the journey.
“I put a lot of work into what I want to be as a coach, and I know there’s a lot of good coaches that haven’t been able to experience this.
“It means a lot to me, and it’s going to mean a lot for a long time.”
