By David Nagel
Great teams win premierships but only extraordinary teams go back-to-back.
Inverloch-Kongwak has the chance to join Dalyston (2017, 18) as back-to-back champions of the WGFNC when the Sea Eagles take on the Seagulls from Tooradin-Dalmore in an enticing grand final shootout at Kooweerup on Saturday.
Outgoing coach Jarrad Walker and his girls will go in as red-hot favourites, having won every game this year, but this week’s opponent is definitely up for the fight after a preliminary final comeback for the ages.
The Seagulls looked down and out, six goals down midway through the second quarter, before unleashing a comeback based on pure grit and desire.
The Gulls outscored Nar Nar Goon 37 to 24 from that point forward to book their place in the biggest game of the season with a 52-45 victory.
Tooradin is no stranger to the extraordinary deeds of champions, having won three premierships in succession from 2017 to ’19.
The first two triumphs came in the now defunct South East Football Netball League (SEFNL), while an inaugural WGFNC success in 2019 raised the bar to an extreme level that the incumbents were forced to climb.
Players such as Alex Maher, Ebony Mason, Ebony Dolan, Jess Maher, Kelly Haynes and Sara Howie rode the extreme highs of those premiership successes…and were key figures that turned last week’s preliminary final on its head.
The Gulls played with spirit and determination, forcing Nar Nar Goon into error to take a one-goal lead to the final break.
Led by Dolan in defence, the Gulls then enforced their dominance with a 17-11 final term.
The Gulls will come in confident, but also understand that the challenge presented by the Sea Eagles is utterly immense.
Walker has stars at his disposal everywhere you look, with a record four players making the starting line up in this season’s Team of the Year.
Lanni Pryor and Kelsey Buxton earned starting positions through the midcourt, while goaler Kelly Boyd was rewarded for a consistent season under the ring.
And in Renee Pilkington, well the Sea Eagles have the dominant player in the six-year history of the competition.
Pilkington’s class shines through in everything she does; with her league medal speech on Monday night giving an insight into what drives the Sea Eagles into battle.
“We just go out and give it our best, but the thing I love most about playing netball is it’s a team game,” she said.
“We play for each other, and we have trust in each other that everyone will give their best and play their role.
“It’s exciting, but we’ll just go out and give it our best.”
The Sea Eagles have extra motivation this week, with Walker coaching the last game of a magnificent stint at the helm.
The Sea Eagles were a strong club when Walker arrived, but a lack of A Grade success was the one thing missing from the club’s armoury.
He coached the Eagles to an intense victory over a strong Bunyip line-up in last year’s grand final – and this year sits on the precipice of the perfect season.
Undefeated premiers and back-to-back champion – what a nice ring that has to it!
THE TIP
Tooradin showed it can match it with Inverloch in the second semi-final, scoring 13 each in the opening term, but keeping that level up for four quarters was the challenge.
They dropped off through the middle stages of the contest before bouncing back when the sting had gone out of the game.
This Sea Eagles group is relentless, and driven by the leadership of Pilkington, and the smarts of Walker from the sidelines…they’ll win this premiership comfortably.
Walker will head off on his European vacation early next year as a back-to-back premiership coach.
It’s the Sea Eagles to win by 13.
