Northcote Park’s path to Diamond Valley Football League giant
We chart Northcote Park’s remarkable rise from the Diamond Valley Football League’s second division to top flight premiership powerhouse in Part 1 of our Dynasty series.
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At the start of the 1994 Diamond Valley Football League season, Northcote Park was a small club battling to make finals in Division 2.
Just five years later the Cougars were arguably the biggest club in the league and on the verge of something truly special – a historic four-peat.
An ambitious committee led by Michael Chilcott and talent-laden playing group took the club on an extraordinary eight-year run that produced five premierships from six grand final appearances.
Known as the Prince of Wales Football Club until 1952, Northcote Park had a history of success in the Methodist Football League, Metropolitan Football League and Panton Hill Football League but had struggled after switching to the DVFL in 1981.
However, having won promotion in 1994, the club had no intention of slipping straight back to Division 2 and made an instant impact, missing finals in 1995 by just two points.
Steve Easton arrived at Bill Lawry Oval as senior coach in 1996 and was struck by how much the club wanted success.
The former North Melbourne and Carlton big man knew plenty about building dynasties having earlier coached Lalor’s 1991-93 premiership hat-trick.
“The club was extremely strong behind the scenes, we had a board of directors that enabled us to attract some quality players,” Easton said.
“They’d come from nothing. In previous years they couldn’t pay the rent at the old ground at McDonald Park, they made a big commitment to take on Bill Lawry Oval, and the players followed after the infrastructure was put in place.
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“I coached senior footy for 27 years and you wouldn’t get a better group than what we had.”
In his first season, Easton guided the club to its first top flight DVFL grand final, ultimately losing to Bundoora by nine points.
Revenge was sweet in 1997 as the Cougars claimed their maiden Division 1 premiership with a 39-point triumph over the Bulls.
In his one and only season at Northcote Park, current day coach Barry Mitchell completed a personal hat-trick – a premiership medal, league best-and-fairest and club best-and-fairest.
The Cougars would follow up that momentous achievement with a preliminary final appearance in 1998, bowing out against Easton’s former club and eventual premier Lalor.
Matt Amad was one of the spiritual leaders at Northcote Park and took over the captaincy from club legend John Origlasso in 1999.
Matt and brother Joey were already Cougar greats, having been a part of the 1994 Division 2 premiership and both finished with six flags.
The hard-nosed defender said the club’s reputation during the period couldn’t have been further from the truth.
STAY TUNED FOR PART 2 OF OUR LOOK AT NORTHCOTE PARK’S DIAMOND VALLEY FOOTBALL LEAGUE DYNASTY ON FRIDAY
“From the outside we were the club that went out and bought a team but we had, in my opinion, the best combination of AFL and suburban footballers in suburban football,” he said.
“The AFL players we did have had a connection to the club through a past player or current player.
“The culture was fantastic, we were a very tight-knit bunch of blokes.”
Two-time Carlton premiership defender Peter Dean and Geelong, Carlton and Port Adelaide forward Brent Heaver arrived in 1999, joining the likes of David Stropper (Fitzroy, Sydney Swans and St Kilda), Michael Gale (Fitzroy and Richmond) and Jason Croall (Collingwood).
However, arguably the biggest recruit was ruckman Brett Jeffery from Boort in country Victoria.
“He was the best ruckman in the comp, always gave our onballers first use and you could push him forward if you needed a couple of quick goals,” Amad said.
“He’d get really cranky with the onballers if he’d tap it to the right spot and they weren’t there.
“He was super passionate and you wouldn’t find a more loyal bloke.”
Full-forward Damien Yze was another key arrival as the likes of Gerard Bevan, Anthony Lekkas, Shannon Logan and Simon Lennox formed the local backbone.
The 1999 season started with a rousing 81-point thrashing of the reigning premier but by Round 7 the campaign was teetering at 4-3 after a two-point defeat at Bundoora.
An 11-game unbeaten run followed, including an 159-point thumping of Epping and 200-point humiliation of Diamond Creek.
The club rolled into finals as minor premier and dispatched Heidelberg by 44 points in the major semi-final before claiming premiership glory for the second time in three years with a 30-point victory against North Heidelberg.
While 1999 had started with a rousing win, the 2000 season started with a reality check – a 19-point defeat at the hands of West Preston-Lakeside.
The Roosters would prove a stumbling block again in Round 11 as they conquered the Bill Lawry Oval fortress with a 33-point victory.
It was a wake-up call to Easton’s men and it proved season-defining.
Northcote Park didn’t lose another game, finishing the home-and-away season with seven straight wins, before dismantling their regular-season tormentor when it mattered most.
The Cougars cruised to a 57-point win over West Preston-Lakeside in the major semi-final and followed up it a fortnight later with a dominant 73-point triumph to claim back-to-back titles.
“The blend of ex-AFL talent, the country boys, the home-grown talent and the juniors we got up and running at Alphington, whatever the mix was it just worked,” Easton said.
“It was no luck we attracted good players – the finances and the facilities were obviously attractions – but we had a ball.
“We had a lot of success, and they still do to this day. The same group are still really tight.
“I know they still go camping religiously on the first week in December at Echuca and that event has been going on for 20-odd years, so to see the camaraderie that still exists between them says volumes.”
Yze claimed the league goalkicking award with 99 majors in the home-and-away season, surprisingly the club’s only individual award during the four-peat.
Easton called time on his tenure at Bill Lawry Oval after the season, having won three premierships and moulded the club into a powerhouse.
Vinny Hanlon would take the reins for 2001 as the Cougars aimed to become just the third club in Diamond Valley Football League history to win a hat-trick of premierships.
THIS IS PART 1 OF LOCAL FOOTY’S SPECIAL ON NORTHCOTE PARK’S DYNASTY . DON’T FORGET TO RETURN FOR PART 2 ON FRIDAY.