How ‘big-headed’ failure helped build Heidelberg’s premiership dynasty
Harsh lessons learnt in grand final defeat were the catalyst for Heidelberg’s decade of dominance as the Tigers combined ex-AFL talent with some of the greatest suburban players the DVFL/NFL has seen.
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Two things usually bring down local footy dynasties — time or ego.
But in Heidelberg’s case it was ego that actually laid the foundations for their remarkable decade of dominance.
Having won the 2004 Diamond Valley Football League premiership as a young group, Tigers legend Blair Harvey admitted the team had got “big-headed” and declared that was one of the key reasons why the Tigers lost the 2005 decider to cross-town rival North Heidelberg.
It was also the reason why he believes the club went on to win four straight flags and feature in nine consecutive grand finals.
“Going into 2005, we were most likely too big-headed, thinking it will just be a formality,” Harvey said.
“I’ll never forget, we played North Heidelberg in the second semi and were up by about 70 points at three-quarter-time.
“North Heidelberg hit the front with about 10 minutes to go and we kicked a goal late to win by three points, it gave them a real sniff and they ended up beating us (in the grand final).
“There was a group of about 10 of us who started training a week after that grand final loss.
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“We learnt on the back of 2005, if we became lazy, became complacent or big-headed, it could happen again.”
Heidelberg has been a dominant force in Melbourne’s northern suburbs since the day the club was founded in 1876.
The Tigers’ first title came in 1890 when a member of the Bourke-Evelyn Football League and 27 have followed, including a record 20 in the DVFL/Northern Football League.
So time hasn’t been always been able to stop the club either.
With established stars such as Harvey, Dale and Danny Nolan, Chris Hall and Michael Gay and the arrival of ex-AFL star Justin Murphy, Heidelberg entered the 2006 season as firm favourites.
Yet it was Bundoora which finished on top and the Bulls went on to secure a three-point victory and grand final berth in the major semi-final.
THIS IS PART 1 OF OUR DYNASTY FEATURE ON HEIDELBERG’S PREMIERSHIP FOUR-PEAT. DON’T MISS PART 2 ON FRIDAY
However, after sweeping Montmorency aside by 67 points in the preliminary final, Heidelberg wasn’t going to let another premiership slip away and triumphed by 14 points in an enthralling decider.
Dale Nolan would be awarded the Massey Medal for best-on-ground honours.
Craig Hunter had coached the club since 2004, breaking a 14-year premiership drought in his first season in charge.
Phil Plunkett would take the reins for 2007 having been lured across from VFL club Preston, where he was assistant to Barry Mitchell.
“Both were amazing coaches, both really good man managers,” then club president Trevor Barrot said.
“As you can imagine, there were a few egos in there to manage and they did it beautifully.”
If 2005 had been a lesson in humility, the Tigers learnt it well.
The Diamond Valley league had been rebranded the Northern Football League and the Tigers entered 2007 with renewed focus.
“After winning in 2006, we learnt from 2005. We won one and got ahead of ourselves and the mentality was that’s not going to happen again,” Harvey said.
“We celebrated but a good three weeks after, we started training again.”
“There were some egos there, but that drove a lot of people too, there was real rivalry within the playing group to try and be the best.
“We’d play intra-clubs and there’d be scuffles because players were just that competitive, they just wanted to be the best. That held us in good stead in games.”
Former North Melbourne and Carlton star Corey McKernan was serving as assistant coach and came out of retirement for 2007.
The Kangaroos premiership big man helped lure former Carlton teammate Anthony Franchina to Warringal Park, while Jason Kennedy and Michael Finn would also arrive.
Heidelberg dominated the season from the opening bounce of Round 1, claiming 10 victories by 10 goals in 18 games, and finished the regular season undefeated.
Bitter rival Bundoora was once again waiting in the major semi-final but was no match as the rampant Tigers claimed a 53-point win.
The Bulls set-up a grand final rematch but Heidelberg’s back-to-back premierships were sealed with a 32-point triumph.
Plunkett had played at Heidelberg before moving into coaching and considers himself extremely lucky to have walked into such a talented group.
“We had a great group of individuals and I had a great leader in Blair Harvey,” he said.
“I called him my barometer, when I needed something to happen I could look to him and say I need something special.
“Dale Nolan was amazing, we’d play him at centre half-forward and then centre half-back when it was blowing a gale at Preston. He was a great marking target or intercept mark.
“Danny (Nolan) was terrific as well, his work rate was special, Jason Kennedy, Mick Finn, Mick Gay was one of the biggest men I’ve ever coached.
“Abe Williams was the smallest bloke on the ground but I’d play him at centre half-forward because of his athletic ability.
“It’s only now you look back and realise how lucky we were and what a great era we had … how much we achieved together.”
Gay claimed the Massey Medal and Chris Hall would collect his second league goalkicking award, locked on 72 majors with North Heidelberg’s Shaun Ryan.
That season the league also named a Team of the Year for the first time with Tigers Harvey, Murphy, Hall, Dale and Danny Nolan and Dean Haydock honoured.
Barrot said the club’s success was built on local foundations.
“We had some fantastic local footballers … the Nolan boys, Chris Hall, Jason Kennedy, we got Mick Gay across from Epping,” he said.
“Blair was the heart-and-soul of the club, I think he was 23 or 24 when he took the captaincy. He really galvanised the group.
“Even the AFL guys that came back would say ‘some of these guys should have played AFL’ but I suppose it comes down to being in the right place at the right time.
“Those guys formed the nucleus and the VFL and AFL guys just topped us up.”
The Tigers had last completed a premiership hat-trick in 1910-12 and it seemed a formality that they would repeat the feat in 2008.
THIS IS PART 1 OF OUR DYNASTY FEATURE ON HEIDELBERG’S PREMIERSHIP FOUR-PEAT. DON’T MISS PART 2 ON FRIDAY