AFL Yarra Ranges: Gembrook Cockatoo sets itself for Division 2 finals in similar shape to 2016 premiership year

Anyone fond of an omen bet at finals time need look no further than Gembrook Cockatoo.

Anyone fond of an omen bet at finals time need look no further than Gembrook Cockatoo.

On Sunday, the Brookers will take the field at Woori Yallock for an AFL Yarra Ranges Division 2 elimination final clash with Alexandra in a position eerily similar to its starting point for a finals series that ended with a premiership in 2016.

“We’ve had a very similar season to when we won the flag,” coach Matt O’Neill said. “We weren’t the best team in the competition that year and we finished 10-6, exactly the same as this year.”

MICHAEL FIRRITO RETURNS TO GEMBROOK

TARKYN LOCKYER JOINS THE BROOKERS

IT’S BEEN A TOUGH RUN FOR THE GREEN AND WHITE

Gembrook Cockatoo celebrates its 2016 grand final win over Kinglake Picture: ROBYN KUYS

After a flawless finals campaign, the Brookers claimed the 2016 flag but found elevation to Division 1 more giant leap than step up and, after an injury-marred campaign, finished 0-18 and headed straight back to the second tier.

Back on track, and approaching full strength, the Brookers are back in September action and ready to give it a crack.

“We’ve had a lot of injuries, we haven’t had our best team on the park all year,” O’Neill said.

“We’ve pushed the kids a lot this year, we played a lot of the under-18s and one of the under-16s. We’ve gone with the youth and tried to get a bit of experience into them. We think we can get past this week and the under-18s finished second or third and our twos finished on top, so it’s looking good at the club.”

And the Brookers will enter the finals with a pretty good preparation behind it.

“(We’ve had) three or four tough games that we’ve had to win to even reach finals,” O’Neill said. “We’ve built momentum and we’re pretty hardened.”

O’Neill rated Seville a likely grand finalist while getting over Yarra Glen and Yarra Junction would be difficult.

“We need to get our best 21 (on the park). We’ll only have about two out this week,” he said. “And, if we can be competitive in all four quarters, we’ll be right in every game.”

Michael Firrito has been outstanding for Gembrook Cockatoo: Bethany Hutchison

In developing the young Brookers list, O’Neill has been able to call upon more than 500 games of AFL footy experience in support with Michael Firrito (275 games with North Melbourne), Tarkyn Lockyer (227 at Collingwood) and Andrew Shipp (35 with Fremantle) pulling on the green and white this year.

And while all three are still class acts with ball in hand, it is off the park where they are having the biggest impact.

“It’s really helped getting Michael Firrito back to the club and Tarkyn Lockyer has played about seven games this year and Shippy, since he came back in about 2004, has pretty much played every game, unless he was injured,” O’Neill said.

“Being around guys like that, they pass on quite a lot of things, and you can’t buy knowledge like that.

“Firrito is a backman and he’s played on some of the best. He’s taught us a lot about defensive roles and positioning. I was primarily a midfielder so I tell the guys ‘you might as well grab all the knowledge you can’.

“Tarks brings a lot of midfield knowledge with his role at Collingwood and Shippy works with our forwards.”

Gembrook Cockatoo will take on Alexandra in the elimination final at Woori Yallock on Sunday (2.10pm)

Michael Firrito and Josh Fraser share a moment. Picture: Bethany Hutchison