EFL 2018: Whitehorse Pioneers hunting second Eastern Football League flag in Division 4 grand final
WHITEHORSE Pioneers will be hunting their second Eastern Football League premiership when they meet Glen Waverley Hawks in the Division 4 grand final.
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JAMIE Carpenter remembers the feeling well.
The first-year Whitehorse Pioneers coach was a member of the club’s only Eastern Football League flag in 2007.
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It was the Pioneers’ first EFL premiership after joining the competition in 1998.
Whitehorse went through that year undefeated, winning the grand final by 104 points over Heathmont.
“It was the closest group of players I’ve ever played football with,” Carpenter said of the ‘07 decider.
“Like I keep telling my guys, it is the best day of your life — it’s better than marriage, better than having kids — you remember it forever.”
Whitehorse will contend for a second flag when it meets Glen Waverley Hawks in Saturday’s Division 4 grand final, it’s first since that triumph 11 years ago.
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While the Pioneers went through 2007 with a 20-0 record, they struggled in promotion to Division 3.
The six years before relegation in 2015 returned just 23 wins.
But a return to the bottom tier has resulted in Whitehorse again challenging an EFL flag.
A Round 18 win over East Burwood secured the Pioneers a top-two finish before ending Glen Waverley’s 16-game winning streak in the semi-final, putting them just one win away from claiming the ultimate prize.
Carpenter returned to Springfield Park at the end of last year after serving as an assistant at Division 3 club Templestowe.
Mariani brothers Matt and Anthony joined Carpenter from the Dockers, along with Alistair Quinn and Alex Kumurdian.
The emergence of half-forward Charlie Thorn, wingman Matt McCormack and teenage defender Daniel Tallariti has also helped Whitehorse enjoy a nine-game winning streak.
“I think our list is a lot deeper than we thought,” Carpenter said.
“I think most clubs have their handful of players that could cut it at any level but our bottom six or seven players are stepping up and have done so in the past month.”
Finals was Carpenter’s first priority but a premiership is the ultimate goal.
A place in the decider has also secured the Pioneers a place in Division 3 for 2019, with both grand finalists to be promoted as part of the EFL restructure.
“It would be a dream come true really,” Carpenter said of the prospect of winning another flag.
“When I got the job probably nine or 10 months ago, it was a goal of mine but it is obviously the last one you tick off the list.
“I suppose we’ve got a big chance now to take the whole thing out.”
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