By David Nagel
Beaconsfield coach Mick Fogarty enjoyed the unique experience of watching his young group mature before his very eyes on Sunday as his Eagles downed South Belgrave in an Eastern Division One first semi-final for the ages.
Like a proud parent should on Father’s Day; Fogarty was bursting at the seams with pride after his Eagles won their first game against the Saints since joining Eastern in 2022.
A lightning start to the last term – where the Eagles kicked three goals in six minutes – led to a 7.13(55) to 7.10(52) triumph against their rivals from up the hill.
Fogarty was still pumped up, 24 hours on, after the Eagles booked a preliminary final date with Park Orchards at Boronia this Saturday.
“We’ve been the little brother to South Belgrave since we came into the competition, we’ve never beaten them before, they’ve been too big, too strong, too good; but the boys grew up on Sunday and matched them in intensity, matched them in contest and didn’t get bullied around,” a passionate Fogarty said.
“When I say that; they’re a great club South Belgrave, and I have so much respect for their side.
“What I mean is we stood up to the intense pressure that they applied, particularly in the second quarter, when (Liam) Kidd got on top of us; (Mitchell) Garner in the ruck, and they kicked three goals into the wind.
“To absorb that pressure, and then respond the way we did; there were just big moments that made the difference in the end.
“Our leaders, Jake Bowd and Damien Johnston, they stood up, but everyone had their moment and that’s what it takes to win finals.”
The Eagles kicked against a strong breeze in the opening term, with Jafar Ocaa providing the ideal start; converting a forward-50 entry from Devon Smith.
A goal to Chris Dergacz was the only painful moment for the Eagles in the first term, leading by two points with a wind-assisted quarter to come.
Josh Mounter extended the lead to nine, just two minutes into the second, before Cayden Black answered for the Saints after an optimistic and poorly-executed switch from Hayden Brough.
Casey Wassylko then capped off some great play from Brandon White, Hayden Brown, Johnston, Kobe Shipp and Mackay Bateson, before Ocaa booted the margin out to 14 points – 15 minutes into the second.
The Eagles looked set to take a significant lead to half time, but the Saints responded in the style of a very good team.
As Fogarty explained, Kidd and Garner had a terrific 10-minute spell into the wind, with goals to Tim Smith and Charlie Peters cutting the margin back to six points at the major interval.
The Eagles went super-defensive in the third and the grit and grind paid dividends.
The Saints only kicked two for the quarter, with Phil Costa kicking truly after a blocking free-kick against Trent Stokoe, before Lachie Benson kicked a goal on the siren to give the Saints a two-goal buffer.
The start of the last quarter proved critical, with Ocaa and White – who had been moved forward – judging the wind perfectly, after free kicks, to tie things up after four minutes of play.
Small-forward Bateson, who had been a pest to the Saints all afternoon, then kicked a brilliant checkside crumbing goal to the give the Eagles a six-point lead.
A Myles Currie point extended the gap to seven, before Charlie Muley dragged down Smith in a ruck contest – in the Saints goalsquare – to cut the deficit back to a point.
Scores were soon level after chaotic scenes in the Saints goalsquare, before a long point to White gave the Eagles back the lead.
Brown (U19 last year) then showed courage beyond his years to curtail a Saints forward thrust, with White doubling the margin as a consequence.
But there would be one more twist to the tale…24 minutes into the last.
Bowd and Brody Connelly, who Bowd knows well, engaged in a one-on-one marking duel, with Connelly narrowly winning the battle.
The ball fell into his grasp, but the pressure; of the moment and that of Bowd, saw the Eagles’ skipper race away with the Sherrin from half back.
His clearance fortuitously landed in the arms of Smith, who found Brough inside 50.
He missed his set shot on goal, but a valuable 30 seconds had ticked by; buying the Eagles the time to hang on for a famous victory.
“It was an emotional roller-coaster ride,” Fogarty explained, after wins against Montrose and South Belgrave had booked a preliminary final against Park Orchards.
And why should the journey stop here?
“The first final against Montrose was the toughest, because it gets easier, and the players are understanding why,” Fogarty said.
“People won’t understand what I mean by that, because Sunday was such a tough game, but we were mentally prepared and ready; we were ready…and we’re going to be ready again this week (Park Orchards).
“Whether that’s good enough we’ll find out; but we’re ready to take on the challenge.
“Once you qualify you only have to be the best team in finals; and so far, it’s gone pretty well.
“We’ve gone from seventh to fifth last year, to whatever happens next week; but for now, we’re just enjoying the moment; why wouldn’t you…it’s just a really special moment for our footy club.
“But it lets the other clubs know; Beaconsfield’s here for the long haul.”
Kade De La Rue and Connor Mouat were both exceptional for the Eagles, who could receive a massive boost this week, with Frankston VFL ruck Harrison Coe recovering well from a painful coxic injury.
In the second semi-final, reigning-premier Mitcham booked the first ticket to grand final day with a 10.11(71) to 6.7(43) victory over Park Orchards.
The Tigers trailed by 24 points at the final break, but rammed home 8.4 to no score in the final term to race away with victory.
