EDFL 2018: Airport West beats Tullamarine in memorable Division 1 grand final
Airport West is celebrating after prevailing against Tullamarine in a remarkabled EDFL Division 1 grand final.
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EXTRAORDINARY. Remarkable. Unthinkable.
Choose any superlative you like, it is unlikely to do justice to Saturday’s memorable Essendon District Football League Division 1 grand final.
Razor-sharp and seemingly indomitable, Airport West had one hand on the cup after punching holes in Tullamarine during a one-sided first half.
The Eagles led by 46 points at the main break and extended that advantage to 53 points at the five-minute mark of the third quarter.
Game over, right? Think again.
The Demons responded with vigour as green and white ribbons were being affixed to the silverware.
They piled on 9.5 in 27 minutes, while holding Airport West scoreless, to grab a six-point lead at three-quarter-time.
It will be a long time before any of the assembled crowd at Windy Hill sees a blitz of that magnitude in a game with everything on the line.
Star Tullamarine midfielder Anthony Prestia bagged three majors during the run after being moved forward as his team banged the ball inside 50 at will.
The Demons also bashed the Eagles in the middle after being beaten up in the first half.
But the three-quarter-time huddle was just what Airport West needed if it was going to knock off Tullamarine for the third time in four weeks.
The minor premier kicked the only three goals of the final term to become the premier, with Brendan Godden, Tyson Young and David McWilliam medallist Bior Malual nailing majors.
In contrast, the runner-up fluffed three chances after being as accurate as a seasoned surgeon in the third as the Eagles claimed the flag and secured promotion to Premier Division with a 16.11 (107) to 13.16 (94) triumph.
“I thought we played really good footy in the first half,” victorious coach Geoff Maddern said.
“Our pressure was really high, we were able to create turnovers, our defence away from the footy was really good and we rebounded if we didn’t get our fair share of clearances.
“The forward line, of course, was outstanding.
“Then a snap change came over the game at about the five-minute mark of the third quarter.
“All of a sudden Tulla really switched on and all the stuff they’d brought for most of the season came back to them. They ran hard; they were tough.
“When you’ve got the momentum, things go your way and they absolutely swamped us for that whole quarter.”
Maddern declared it the “the best quarter I’ve seen from anyone in Division 1 this year and probably last year as well”.
Much to Maddern’s relief, the siren sounded after a marathon 34-minute third quarter. His side needed a breather.
He wondered if the Demons had much left in the tank.
Or would Airport West have the ignominy of being referred to forever as the side which coughed up a matchwinning advantage in the biggest game of the year?
Lachlan Di Sebastiano earned the coach’s praise for his efforts across half-back, utility Young had an impact after moving from the middle to the forward half and wingman Malual created constant headaches for the Demons with his end-to-end run.
Ned Gentile, Jesse McVeigh and Godden pocketed three goals apiece.
It was a double celebration for the Eagles, with their reserves side also tasting premiership glory.
They also lost last year’s decider to Glenroy, which provided a source of motivation.
“There was a big handful of players in both sides from last year’s grand final side. I suppose when you lose one, you get back here the next year and you show a pretty steely resolve not to drop another one,” Maddern said.
“That was probably a big part of it I suppose. The guys really put their hands up and said, ‘we’ve got to get back into the game’ and we were lucky enough to do so.”
Airport West last competed in Premier Division in 2016 and will return next season in good shape.
Chris Lawton, who played 13 senior games this year and contributed 21 goals, was a member of the triumphant reserves team in an indication of the club’s depth.
“He was coming back from a shoulder and we just couldn’t squeeze anyone out from the previous game, but he was fantastic. He’s a brilliant young bloke,” Maddern said.
The EDFL trumpets its second tier as “the best division in local footy”.
This grand final did no harm to that assertion.
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