By David Nagel
Raindrops on the roof of the Tooradin Sports Club last Sunday could be a sign from above that the premiership floodgates about to open after a career-long drought for Seagulls captain Mick Sweeney.
Just 12 months after ending his 28-year search for a premiership of any description, the now 38-year-old is on the brink of back-to-back success stories in his first two years at the club.
Sweeney will lead the Seagulls into battle in a mouth-watering CCCA Premier Division grand final against Cardinia at the Bulls’ home ground at Gunton Oval this Saturday.
The Seagulls produced an almost perfect season in 2023/24; losing just one game on the way to a resounding premiership victory.
This year the ride has not been quite as smooth, with the loss of key players such as Brad Butler (injury) and Pete Sweeney (retired) leaving the Gulls with holes to fill.
Add to that the constant curse of injury, and Sweeney acknowledges that this season has been a different beast altogether.
It makes him unsure as to whether the Gulls are equally as prepared for a shot at their third premiership in four years.
“Yes and no; we’re certainly a different team than we were last year and this one is probably even a little bit bigger than last year,” he confessed.
“Our team last year, with Brad (Butler) firing on all cylinders, Pete (Sweeney) bowling well, our fitness going in was good and the season that we had dropping one game; we were in really good shape.
“This year we’ve had some fitness issues and had to go on a journey of building this side back up, and doing it differently and unearthing a few players.
“This one feels special to get here, and I’m really proud of that; we’re a resilient side and we’ve found different ways to get to this point.
“But I’m still nervous and really anxious about it because the desire to get it done is still at its absolute max.”
The core of the Seagulls premiership win from last year is still intact, with Cal O’Hare, Josh Lownds, Russell Lehman, Tom Hussey, Ben Parrott, Dylan Sutton and Sweeney providing a class platform to build on.
And Sweeney didn’t need to search far for replacements for Butler and his brother Pete, with Tyler Evans emerging as a star; Connor O’Riordan and Bailey Lownds having huge impacts with the ball, while Liam Simpson has chipped in with some handy contributions in both facets of the game.
Evans is already a two-time premiership player with the Seagulls, but his development has been the most impressive of any young player in the Premier Division this season.
He has the ball velocity and batting ability to rival Kooweerup’s Luke McMaster as the most explosive all-rounder in the association.
As far as compliments go; you don’t get any better than that!
Evans first filled the big boots of Butler, becoming the Seagulls’ undisputed strike weapon, while his batting in recent times has shown high skill and maturity.
The young gun is averaging 116.5 from his last four hits!
How Cardinia openers Alex and John Nooy handle the confidence and belief of Evans will have a huge bearing on the destination of this year’s cup.
Does it stay at Cardinia; adding a fifth cup since 2003/04, or will the Seagulls take it away on its final 15-minute journey?
The stakes, as usual in grand finals…are bloody huge!
Cardinia finished on top for good reason, with returning two-time premiership captain at the club, Mark Cooper, adding some real polish to an already potent playing group.
The inclusion of Trishane De Silva and Yohan Arumadura has added established class with the ball, while Alex Nooy and Matt Welsh have taken the jump from good competitors to genuine stars of the competition.
No one could ever compare Arumadura to Dwayne Doig – possibly the best spinner in Cardinia’s history – but the way he mesmerised and confused the Pakenham batters last week with his change of pace and trajectory…well it certainly engendered flashbacks of the great man!
Cooper believes the balance of his bowling attack is one of his team’s greatest strengths, with Arumadura, De Silva, Josh Grogan, Josh Browne, Matt Welsh, Travis Wheller and Cooper himself, all capable of big game performances.
Welsh hasn’t had the miles in the legs this summer, but took five wickets in the semi, while Wheller is another that can often produce on the big stage.
He won the Lex Duff Medal when the Bulls last won the flag in 2020/21, and has a Glasscock Medal to his name as the best player at country week.
It’s a pedigree that could serve Cooper well.
“Matt Welsh stepped up for us on Saturday, but he hasn’t had a great volume, and neither has Trav Wheller because of how many options we have,” Cooper said.
“But he’s one that can really turn it on as he has done in the past.
“There are a number of options and that means if a Tooradin batter gets set to one, then we can change things up pretty quickly.
“But that changes tactics, changes fielding positions and means starting again to try and create another chance or create pressure for a period of time.
“I’m confident that all of our bowling group can perform well on the day.”
OUR TIP
Initial thoughts are; Cardinia at home, what a very tough team to beat!
But dig a little deeper and Gunton Oval holds no fears for Tooradin at all.
The Seagulls rolled the Bulls for an even 100 in a two-day contest in round seven, with Evans taking four, and Sutton, Bailey Lownds and O’Riordan two each.
The Bulls restricted the run-rate of the Gulls on day two, but a distinct failure with the bat left the home side’s ribs exposed for an easy punch.
This one will be a cracker, played with huge intensity as some of the biggest competitors in CCCA cricket go head-to-head with pleasure or pain as the prize.
Chirpy Alex versus Grumpy Tom; young all-rounder Tyler versus Welsh of the Matt variety, while the two captains are set to provide the biggest contest of all.
The cup is travelling people…15 minutes up the road as Sweeney opens the floodgates with a back-to-back premiership victory.
