Harper Sercombe
Darley has claimed its third Ballarat Football League premiership in the most dramatic of ways.
The Devils took on North Ballarat at Ballarart’s City Oval on Saturday afternoon in the decider.
Darley walked into the clash as red hot favourites, knocking off minor premiers, Melton and the Roosters in convincing fashion just weeks ago to book them into the big dance.
The Roosters then through to the decider, beating East Point in the preliminary final.
The Devils won Saturday’s epic clash 11.5 (71)-10.10 (70).
The Devils trailed the Roosters all day, unable to work their way into the game, however, always remained close enough to remain a threat.
The Roosters’ inability to shut the door on the Devils premiership aspirations came back to hurt them.
Late in the game, Joel Cadman converted a set shot, directly in front from 20 metres out to put the Devil’s just five points down to give the supporters some hope.
The drama continued when the Devils were awarded a controversial holding the ball free kick deep in their forward line.
Billy Myers slotted a goal from the kick to put the Devils up by a point with under 10 seconds of game time left on the clock.
The ball went back to the middle with the siren going not much later, much to the delight of Devils fans.
It’s the fourth premiership cup to arrive at Darley Park this season with the Devils’ women’s team also taking out the flag a couple of weeks ago and two netball sides also winning on Saturday.
Two best on ground awards were handed out at the end of the game with Myers winning the AFL Victoria best on ground medal, voted on by the officiating umpires. The Rooster’s Riley Polkinghorne won the Roy Edwards Memorial trophy, voted on by the league’s directors.
Darley president Mark Shelly said it was an unbelievable feat.
“No discredit to North [Ballarat] but I don’t think we played really good footy at all,” he said.
“But when the big moments were there to be won, we were lucky enough to win a couple of the big moments.
“That was the fairytale in the finish.
“It was just incredible, that last two or three minutes.”
The last few minutes of the game were blockbuster, the twist no one expected. The final result surprised many in the end, including Shelly, considering the way the game played out.
“I was resigned to the fact that we probably weren’t going to get over the line,” he said.
“[In the last few minutes] there was stoppage after stoppage, and a lot of strong work around the football, you just needed to be able to get one of those clearances and get some space which we were lucky enough to do.
“When Mace Cousins looked inboard, lowered his eyes and found Joel Cadman, as opposed to just blazing away, was real footy smarts. So for someone like Mace to look and chip it inboard was really good.
“And then we got the holding the ball decision late in the game, and it’s interesting not too often those ones are paid, even though it was certainly there, just late in the game, and then obviously Billy went back and slotted it.
“At the end of the day, we certainly knew we had the ball in the right bloke’s hand, Billy Myers, having that last shot.
“We were lucky enough to come out on the right side of the ledger… we were lucky we were in front when the siren sounded.”
This is the Devils first premiership since 2017, after winning their first BFL premiership in 2015.
It caps off a stunning rebuild that started under coach Dan Jordan last season.
The Devils failed to win a game 2021, after the season was cancelled in 2020, meaning it went two seasons without a victory.
Last season they made finals before getting the ultimate success this year.
Speaking on the stage after the game, Jordan said they used last year’s finals loss as a motivator heading into this year.
“To our boys we didn’t play great footy, but we hung around we hung around but that’s always been the spirit you blokes have had from the very first time I stepped in the door,” he said. “I just had to refine a few of you.
“To the wider football club we started a journey about 23 months ago coming off the back of not winning a game of footy for three years. It was about returning this club to what you belief what was your rightful place at the top of the ladder.
“Darley footy club your road to redemption is over.”
