Greensborough endure upset defeats in seniors and reserves
The entire Greensborough Football Club was shattered after both the senior and reserves teams entered stunning upset losses in their respective NFL Division 1 grand finals.
Local Footy
Don't miss out on the headlines from Local Footy. Followed categories will be added to My News.
The Greensborough rooms felt like a funeral.
Tears flowed freely and loved ones tried to comfort the players as an entire club was left shattered.
The seniors and reserves sides had lost just one game between them before Saturday, with both enduring stunning upset defeats in their respective NFL Division 1 grand finals.
REPORT: ROOSTERS STUN BOROUGH IN BOILOVER
LEADER: GET YOUR NORTHERN FOOTY NEWS HERE
ROSBROOK: HAPPY BELL CROWNED NFL’S BEST
West Preston-Lakeside claimed the senior premiership by 12 points, while Bundoora won the reserves decider by 21 points.
Borough coach Mick Harford was devastated by the dual disappointments.
“It’s a cruel game,” he said.
“An enormous amount of effort goes into a season and it just unravels in four hours.
“Credit where credit’s due to the other teams, someone has to win and lose, but it’s devastating for the boys to be honest.
“They just need to stick together, they’re an amazing bunch of young men, they’ve been an absolute pleasure to coach.”
Bundoora produced the first upset of the day, ruining Greensborough reserves’ bid for a perfect season with a 6.8 (44) to 2.11 (23) triumph.
The senior decider looked a formality after the minor premier kicked five unanswered goals across the first and second quarters as Tom Bell and Charlie Molyneux ran rampant in midfield.
However, the contest changed soon after, with West Preston-Lakeside’s pressure creating a game of trench warfare that the Borough struggled to break free from.
The 8.5 (53) to 6.5 (41) result was Greensborough’s lowest score of the season.
Jack Johnson, Michael Croxford, John Desmond and Adrian Cataldo held their heads high.
Harford lamented his team’s inability to adapt to the change as it managed just two goals in three quarters of football.
“I thought we started really well and that was one of our focuses, especially into that strong breeze early on,” he said.
“Then they closed the game down and we couldn’t find any space … we couldn’t get the ball in our hands for long enough and it was difficult to find scoring options at that point.
“We’ll get through today and look back at the season at some point. You’re in it to win premierships, so it’s difficult to even contemplate looking back at the season.”
WHAT A LEADER LOCAL FOOTY SUBSCRIPTION GIVES YOU ACCESS TO
— Match reports, features, player and coach movements and analysis of all the leagues across Melbourne.
— Unprecedented AFL coverage.
— All the latest football news from across the country including Herald Sun, Daily Telegraph and Courier-Mail.
— Latest news and videos from the world’s leading leagues.
— Exclusive digital stories and videos before they go to print.