By David Nagel
Redemption is complete.
Kooweerup captain Michael Giles sunk to his knees after Cody Miller gleefully accepted a skied-ball at deep point to give the Demons their eighth top-flight premiership in 14 years on Sunday.
And the emotions spilled out.
Giles, Doofy to his mates, had just orchestrated a perfect record as captain-coach in his three completed seasons at the helm – 2013/14, 2014/15 and 2022/23.
But it’s the uncompleted season of 2015/16 that made Sunday’s moment so special.
Giles was heading for the holy grail as captain-coach at Kooweerup – three premierships on the trot – until a late-night incident on Saturday 30 January, 2016, propelled his world into a spin.
The club believed he had compromised club standards and he was asked to step down.
“It was the toughest part of my life, it really was,” an emotional Giles said, with a fifth premiership medal glistening around his neck.
“I hadn’t really gone through anything drastic in my life, like deaths, things like that, so to have something that you’ve loved and grew up with all your life – taken away – and the way it went down, it was heartbreaking.
“But time heals all wounds as they say, and it did, it really did, it healed and we end up here today.
“After this all I can say is never hold a grudge in life, you have to move on and move forward with your life.”
Giles and the Kooweerup Cricket Club reunited this season, with Doofy taking over the reins from one of his closest mates in Chris Bright – who had as much to lose as anyone upon Giles’ return.
“He rang me and said he was thinking about coming back, and I said ‘mate, do it’, and then I got a call from Matty Davey (President) saying they were going with Doofy, taking over captain and coaching, I rang Doofy straight away and we were both in tears,” Bright said.
“He’s one of the best captains I’ve ever played under, he knows cricket, he’s a thinker; he just writes stuff on the whiteboard that won’t make a lot of sense to others, but the players just buy into it.
“I love the bloke like a brother.”
It was symbolic that the man who picked Giles up after he had sunk to his knees on Sunday was Bright who, along with his brother Matt, had no doubt lifted him up during his six years away from the club.
“I’ve grown up with those blokes as a young kid in Kooweerup myself, the Bright boys’ old man, Pommy (Ron Bright), he was like a second dad for me when I was a kid,” Giles explained.
“We played junior football together, Pommy would pick me up, and we were just like brothers.
“Then to have the five brothers (Chris, John, Matt, Paul and Ron) come to the cricket club and play, I think that’s what makes it so special.
“I guess I am the sixth brother (laughs).”
The cricket IQ of Giles is elite, he knows it but won’t spruik it to anyone, and was one of the main reasons why he returned to the club for one season.
The blazing left-hand opener, who destroyed attacks for fun…was definitely a thing of the past.
“Showing more leadership on the field, in crunch moments, that was the main thing I suppose,” Giles said of his return.
“I thought we really gelled towards the end of the year, with our messaging and things like that, and it all helps to get you over the line in the end.
“The mindset was just a bit different.
“I’m definitely not the player I used to be, but just the coaching before the game, during the week, I really enjoyed that this year and hopefully it made a difference.”
It certainly made a difference to Bright, who played the most patient innings of his career to turn the plan of Giles into reality in a Man of the Match performance.
“Our plan was to bat 80 overs, and Wombat (Bright) put his normal batting aside to stick to the plan and make sure that happened,” Giles said.
“I’ve been harsh on Wombat and Luke (McMaster) all the way through the year, they’re our two best batters, but they play across the line at times and get themselves out.
“But it didn’t happen yesterday.
“Wombat put the onus on himself and delivered…if he went out, we wouldn’t have won that game.
“That’s the best innings I’ve ever seen him play.
“He had a great finals series.
“He won us the game against Tooradin, and won us the grand final against Cardy.”
Giles was already reflective…less than an hour after the game.
“I never thought it would happen again, after what happened at the club…but fairytales do come true….and they did come true for me today,” he said.
“I never thought I would play another game with these guys, Mushy (Matt Bright) and Wombat in particular, so to get the job done means everything and it feels amazing.
“This will be the best premiership ever because it will be my last one…I’m just going to savour it for a long time to come.”
Redemption is complete!
