AFL Outer East: Seville buries the ghosts of last season and ends 16-year premiership drought with grand final win over Yarra Junction
This time last year, Seville was left shattered after a grand final capitulation to Yarra Junction. What a difference 12 months cam make.
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Seville buried the ghosts of last season’s finals capitulation to Yarra Junction when it thumped the Eagles in this year’s Division 2 grand final at Yarra Glen on Saturday.
Though fortunes ebbed and flowed throughout a keenly-contested opening half, there was a steely resolve about the Blues and, after a 15-goal-to-four second half, Seville saluted 23.14 (152) to 13.12 (90).
And in doing so, it ended a premiership drought that had stretched back to 2003.
Despite hot competition from a number of players in blue jumpers, midfielder Jesse Fraser was a worthy winner of the best-on-ground medal after carving up the Eagles in the second half.
Too often finding himself clear of opposition pressure, Fraser set up a string of attacks that were gratefully accepted by the competition’s most dangerous forward Nathan O’Keefe.
While the Seville skipper had left the ground in the second quarter after appearing to suffer a shoulder injury, he quickly returned and, wing strapped, showed few ill-effects on the way to an eight-goal haul.
Former AFL Magpie Josh Fraser used his experience to take a number of strong marks throughout, though wayward kicking for goal didn’t earn him full reward for his efforts.
After halftime, however, it mattered little as the (Jesse) Fraser/O’Keefe partnership kicked into gear while Dylan Broadway, Cory Glass, Paul Bailey, Justin Myers and Mark Cecere all had moments of brilliance.
For the Eagles, David Johnson booted four goals and, at times, threatened to blow the game apart while Cam Spaulding (three goals), Ewan Wadsworth and Jesse Bombinski battled gamely.
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Troy Armstrong was the clearly the best bigman on the ground and dominated the ruck duels until he was yellow carded when tensions flared in the dying minutes.
Yarra Junction’s pressure gave it the edge in the first half and it led by seven points at the long break.
Seville had opened a handy lead midway through the second quarter before Johnson (twice), Spaulding and Tyson Wheeler kicked four in five minutes in the shadows of halftime.
Seville looked to have one hand on the trophy midway through the third term after an O’Keefe bomb from the edge of the square and a Josh Fraser snap before Gareth Fraser charged out of the middle and goaled on the run to make it a 27-point game.
Again, however, the Eagles weren’t finished and there was a glimmer of hope after late goals from Johnson and Wadsworth.
But that glimmer was well and truly doused over the final 30 minutes as Seville booted nine goals to win in a canter.
O’Keefe set the seal on the drought-breaking win when he kicked his sixth, seventh and eighth in the dying minutes of the season.
The Seville faithful then greeted the final siren with both joy and relief in equal measure.
It had been a win 12 months in the making.
“We were standing where they’re standing last year,” coach Kane Shore said. “We went out and recruited and we put in the hard work.
“We started training three times a week and we were as fit as we’ve ever been. And that fitness got us over the line today.”
Division 2 Grand Final
Seville v Yarra Junction
Yarra Glen (Saturday, September 14)
Seville 2.4 8.7 14.9 23.14 (152)
Yarra Junction 3.4 9.8 11.11 13.12 (90)
SEVILLE Goal Kickers: N. O’’Keefe 8, J. Fraser 3, D. Broadway 3, M. Cecere 2, J. Fraser 2, C. Glass 2, J. Myers, G. Fraser, S. McDonnell
Best Players: J. Fraser, N. O’’Keefe, P. Bailey, J. Myers, C. Suban, A. Wind
YARRA JUNCTION Goal Kickers: D. Johnson 4, C. Spaulding 3, T. Wheeler, J. Bombinski, E. Wadsworth, A. Chandler, C. Hoare, K. Davis Best Players: D. Johnson, E. Wadsworth, J. Bombinski, J. Hammen, C. Spaulding, D. Brookes
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