‘This is for you Jonny’: Tea Tree Gullies’ grandest tribute to lost mate with inaugural Adelaide Footy League Division 1 premiership win
EMOTION-FUELLED wins to do not come much bigger than Tea Tree Gully’s ground-breaking first division one Adelaide Footy League grand final victory over Rostrevor Old Collegians at Thebarton Oval.
TEA Tree Gully coach Justin Maschotta could not hold back the tears as he said “this is for you Jonny”.
Emotion-fuelled wins to do not come much bigger than the Wolves’ 13.15 (93) to 9.9 (63) division one Adelaide Footy league grand final victory over Rostrevor Old Collegians on Saturday.
The Gullies were driven by the memory of their teammate Jon Birkin, who died last December, and turned Thebarton Oval into a celebration of his life.
Further tears flowed when the Wolves players presented Jon’s father Terry with a premiership medal as they posed with the cup.
It was even more special for the club as it had never won a top-tier flag, their last premiership coming in division two in 2012, which Birkin played in.
Maschotta said his group was special.
“Jonny’s passing was a massive roadblock that we’ve had to get through and, after the grieving process, we’ve been able to get through it,” Maschotta said.
“You can’t underestimate how special the Birkin family are and he (Jon) will leave a lasting effect on this footy club for generation.
“They (ROC) were always going to come but we stood up and faced every challenge they threw at us today. I’m over the moon.”
Former Carlton and Adelaide Crows forward Troy Menzel, who turned 24 on grand final day, finished with two goals and won the best-on-ground medal, as voted by the umpires.
The Wolves were slicker with the ball and made better use of their opportunities in attack.
Their relentless tackling helped them control much of the game and lead at every change.
Rostrevor Old Collegians coach Adrian Rocco was proud of his team but conceded the Wolves were the better side.
“It’s always disappointing to lose a grand final,” Rocco said.
“I am proud of the boys, they did fight it out.
“But full credit to Tea Tree Gully, they were hard at it and won the contested ball.”
Third quarter majors to ex-Norwood forward Peter Persinos and Trent Melville gave the Gullies a 33-point advantage with 22 minutes gone in the third term.
But they were forced to fend off a huge fight-back from ROC.
James Butterworth and Tim Baccanello goaled just before three-quarter time to give the reigning premiers a sniff.
Luke Manuel continued the momentum with a major to start the final quarter and, when Baccanello kicked a third, ROC was just 14-points behind.
Menzel’s class then shone through and he stood up when the game was in the balance with composure and superior skills.
The former No.11 AFL draft pick booted two quick goals to all but seal the win.
