MPFNL Division 2: Crib Point ruckman slots banana goal in one-point thriller

Peder Whelan reveals what he was thinking as lined up a goal from an impossible angle to snatch victory for Crib Point in MPFNL Division 2.

Peder Whelan will be 40 in a couple of months. He’s become a Crib Point cult figure. Picture: Valeriu Campan

Crib Point cult figure Peder Whelan says “it surprised me as much as it surprised a few others’’.

The 39-year-old ruckman was talking about his clutch banana goal that clinched a one-point win for the Magpies over Somerville on Saturday.

Crib trailed 78-73 when Harrison Dekleuver’s set shot with 50 seconds to go fell short.

Whelan — all 200cm of him — was in the right spot, plucking a mark in the goal square.

“I thought Harri was going to kick the goal,’’ Whelan said.

“He’s kicked it and I thought, ‘hold on, gee I might be half a chance to mark this’, so I put my hands up and it happened to fall into my hands. Happy days.’’

But that was the easy bit.

With the siren imminent, Whelan — a left footer — had to thread it from the boundary line.

“I haven’t practiced kicking one of those goals for, God knows how long,’’ he said.

“And the guys were like, ‘the clock’s about to go’, so I was like, I can’t play on, not that that’s in my bag of kicking skills at the moment. I thought I’d try the old banana and it was one of those ones when I just flushed it and it went straight through the middle.

“It surprised me as much as it surprised a few others.’’

Liam Tyrrell takes a kick for Crib Point. Picture: Doug Farr

Whelan ran back to the middle and contested the ball up, and seconds later the siren sounded.

Crib Point’s 12.7 (79) to 12.6 (78) win capped an epic contest in which the lead changed 11 times.

Cribby’s Lee Sheehan and then Whelan kicked the last two goals after Somerville skipper Mason de Wit put the Eagles 12 points up with five minutes to go.

Whelan revealed he was in pain when he clunked “that’’ mark.

He had dislocated two fingers in the first five minutes of the game — they were put back in and his hand strapped up, but they dislocated again.

“They both popped out again, and because they taped them up they couldn’t get the tape off to pop them back in for me,’’ he said.

“So that was a little painful experience until they popped them back in. You get that instant relief as soon as they go back in.

“The second time they popped them back I thought, ‘what am I doing? I’m too old for this shit’.

“They just taped them up, put a bit of grippo on and I managed to hold that mark, I think it was the only mark I took for the game and probably the only kick I had too.

“I’ll take that. A classic.’’

It was a crucial win for Cribby, improving their record to 4-3.

Crib Point coach Duane Annable lured Whelan back to “Saturday footy’’ last year out of Superules (Over 35s). They were playing together at Peninsula Raiders.

Annable said he’s still a valuable player.

“He’s nearly 40 and he’s just a warrior and he just keeps going,’’ he said.

“He’s been great for us and he’s a bit of a cult figure.’’

Peder Whelan takes a mark for Mornington in 2007.

Whelan in action for Frankston in the VFL in 2008.

Whelan’s footy journey has had ups, downs, stops and starts.

He played in a senior premiership at Mornington in 2004 at the age of 18, and went on to play with Frankston in the VFL.

Then came a move to country footy.

“I played in the Ovens and Murray (league) for a couple of years, and I got king hit behind the play and I lost — and I still don’t have — half the vision in my right eye so l can’t see properly.

“So l had to stop playing footy.

“I didn’t play again until 35 or 36 when Annas (Duane Annable) was coaching at Superules. I played a couple of years there and Annas moved over to Cribby last year and he said, ‘do you want to come and play Saturday footy?’

“And I sort of said, ‘shit, I don’t know’. I said, ‘are your sure? Me?’ Не said, ‘yeah, can you come over and play?’ I said, ‘I’ll try’, and I ended up over there and it’s been great fun. I’ve loved it.

“I worked it out. I think it’s been 14 years since I played Saturday footy until last year.

Probably not your conventional recruiting spot, Superules. But it’s been fun.’’

Father-of-three Whelan isn’t sure if he’ll continue playing after this season.

“I’m 40 in a couple of months,’’ he said.

“I honestly don’t know. It’s more the kids stuff, they all play footy, netball, basketball. Fitting it all in is the hardest thing.

“Their stuff comes before my stuff. If it works, then it works, if it doesn’t, it doesn’t. I’m okay with whatever way it goes.

“I’ve got to put their stuff first before mine.’’

Whelan’s match-winning heroics came during Crib Point’s past players day, in front of a bumper crowd.

The Magpies were fizzing.

Needless to say, the big fella didn’t pay for a beer in the rooms after the game.

*Whelan’s grandfather Marcus Whelan won a Brownlow Medal, and his dad Shane played with Collingwood. But there aren’t just footy stars in the Whelan family. Peder’s cousin is Australian actress and model Nicky Whelan.