Dazzling Dromana wins first flag since 1971
WAVES of joy swept over Frankston Park on Saturday after Dromana's 42-year premiership drought came to a spectacular end.
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WAVES of joy swept over Frankston Park on Saturday after Dromana's 42-year premiership drought came to a spectacular end.
"Well, I've seen one at last," an old man declared as he stood on the outskirts of a pulsating throng of Tigers players and supporters.
Dromana, having trounced Sorrento by 79 points in the Nepean league grand final, finally had a flag to fly after decades of struggle, unfulfillment and near-misses.
There was raw emotion as players and supporters embraced.
Tears gave way to a mighty celebration.
Dromana's coach Gavin Artico wasn't born when Dromana won its last flag in 1971 and he savoured the special moment.
"The best thing was to be able to put the board down with five or so minutes to go and watch the boys come on and off the ground and enjoy watching the supporters and then hold out for the siren," he said.
"When it went there were just so many happy faces around. It was brilliant."
The grand final was tight and tough early, but it turned into a Dromana cakewalk after half-time.
The Tigers took a 12-point lead into the third quarter and went berserk, firing off 7.1 to Sorrento's 0.1 to open up a 54-point lead by three quarter time.
Fans were already congratulating Dromana players at the last huddle, and Artico noticed. "Hang on, we're not celebrating yet," he barked.
"We want to humiliate these blokes. You don't just want to scrape home, you want to smash them."
Sorrento, with its champion Troy Schwarze off the ground nursing a back injury, was cooked and Dromana showed no mercy, pouring on another six goals in the last term. The lead touched 80 points after Beau McMurray's dashing goal.
Dromana fans clearly outnumbered Sorrento's and they spent much of the last hour in song. "Oh, we're from Tigerland …"
In front of the grandstand, former Dromana player Jason Clarke, wearing an old Grasshoppers jumper, burst into song. His son, Shaun Clarke, 21, was out on the ground.
Sorrento has been king of Nepean league for years, but its reign was over. Dromana was labelled the best suburban football team in the state during the season and it played like it on the most important day of the season.
On election day, peninsula footy had a new leader.
Nerves were evident at the start of the game. Sorrento forward Leigh Poholke hit the post with the first shot of the game and moments later Dromana's Stuart Cleeve did the same.
Sorrento's Tyrren Head drilled the opening goal of the game but in a sign of things to come, Dromana forward Anthony Bruhn burst to life with two early goals. Bruhn went on to finish with five goals in a telling display.
Late in the first term Dromana's Luke O'Neill was knocked unconscious by what Artico described as a "cheap shot".
O'Neill was stretchered off and an ambulance took him to Frankston hospital. After the game Artico went to the hospital to check on him.
"He's had scans … looks like there's nothing broken," he said.
Dromana dasher Toby Banks was awarded the VCFL medal for best on ground, and the Tigers had winners all over.
McMurray, Ryan Slocombe, Terry Wheeler, Christian Ongarello and tattooed ruckman Michael Falconer were superb.
In the wild celebrations straight after, long-time Tigers player Michael Hunter was in tears.
It wasn't long ago that Dromana was a basket case. In the 1990s, the senior side was getting walloped by 50 and 60 goals every week, and the club almost folded.
"We had the league come to us one year and ask us to guarantee that we'll be competitive the next year," Dromana stalwart Colin Matthews revealed.
"They were looking to kick us out. I threatened to take them to court over it. The community needed its footy club and at that stage the (current stars) Adam Hunters and Paul Minchingtons were starting to run around in the Under 11s.''
Sorrento didn't get its fourth straight flag and its coach Nick Claringbold conceded Dromana was a deserving winner.
Dromana's flag men: Anthony Bruhn, Beau McMurray, Daniel Waddell, Toby Banks, Terry Wheeler, Paul Minchington, Stuart Cleeve, Dan Gormley, Michael Falconer, Christian Ongarello, Ryan Slocombe (vc), Sam Guerts, Daniel Guerts, Shaun Clarke, Braeden Dennis, Luke O'Neill, Rikki Johnston (captain), Jay Neratzoglou, Adam Hunter, Michael Hunter, Liam Hogan, Jarrad Wood.