1036 days in the making…Bunyip has broken the longest ongoing drought in the state.
The Bulldogs drenched all their demons in winning colours after a 27-point win over Poowong in the Ellinbank and District Football League.
Entering the game optimistically, fans nervously watched their side run out after the reserves team thrashed their opponents by 137 points.
Fingernails were shed and teeth were chattering when the ball was bounced.
Initial plans didn’t go the way they expected when Alex Henshall bombed a long set shot from the top of 50 for Poowong.
With all the play in the opening 15 minutes, Poowong only managed 1.4 for their troubles to leave the door ajar for Bunyip.
In the final five minutes of the term, the Bulldogs unlocked repeat forward 50 entries and reaped the benefits.
First, a Taj Murphy dribbling goal before William Grummisch kicked his opening goal of the day to possess a four-point lead at half time.
The constant action continued, with Poowong firing back early in the second term.
The next four goals were back and forth, before the half-time siren sounded to signify a two-point Bunyip lead.
Emerging from the half, Bunyip players and fans were confident in their squad.
From the resuming bounce, Poowong midfielder Mitch Molloy took it out of the middle for another trademark clearance, as he had been doing all day.
Molloy hit a forward target lace out on the chest – the only problem being he had kicked it the wrong way and had identified Bunyip’s Lachlan Petch in the leading lanes.
This mental blunder started a snowball effect for the quarter.
Although Petch missed the set shot, Bunyip trapped the ball inside its forward 50 and kicked a goal through Ned Ashton, which then became a second in a row when Zach Gallahar converted a major.
When Petch, Grummisch and Murphy all goaled to round out the third quarter, it was clear Bunyip’s long-term dream was an inch closer to becoming a reality.
With a 28-point lead at the final break, bodies were tired and slumped against each other in the huddle but captain Reid Jenkin wasn’t allowing them to let up.
A Samuel Hughes ‘Hail Mary’ snap in the opening five minutes gave the Bulldogs a game-high 35-point margin, which was quickly cut down by the Magpies after a pair of goals.
Kai Jones had the final say with a set shot, 23 minutes in, giving the inspired side a 78-51 lead.
One more Poowong goal later, the ball was zoned away inside Bunyip’s attacking 50.
When Ben Stewart grappled with his opponent, stole the footy and rolled a goal through from the pocket, his celebrations were quickly rinsed away by the final siren sounding.
The scoreboard read 12.12(84) to 8.9(57).
Unbeknownst to many players at the time, the Bulldogs had officially vanquished their two-and-a-half-year drought.
What happened after was an outpouring of emotion spilling onto the turf and into the clubrooms.
When the Bulldogs sang their song, not a soul was outside the rooms.
Captain Jenkin has persevered through tough times for his beloved Bulldogs and was captured in tears walking off the field.
The partying continued long into the night for Bunyip, with players, coaches and staff staying up until the early parts of the morning to embrace their achievement.
Jenkin is grateful for the overwhelming love and unconditional support from the club’s fan-base, regardless of the results since 13 August 2022, their most recent victory over Dalyston.
“It was just a massive relief and reward for effort for all the players, supporters and volunteers who have stuck through the tough times over the past two and a bit years,” Jenkin said.
“To finally get that winning result really meant quite a lot; the foundations were set for a little while but we had to get that right connection on the ground and put a whole game together.
“We’d been competitive and were able to go toe-to-toe but to put it all together was great…it’ll build a lot of confidence within the boys.
“Hopefully it kicks us into gear to continue to do it.”
The emotion percolated through the organisation, with members rejoicing with each other in every corner you looked.
“It all hit me at once and came over me that we finally got that win,” Jenkin said.
“Playing with my brother after he lost his love for the game and having him on the ground yesterday with me was a special moment.
“The only experience for a lot of the younger boys has been hefty losses to date, so I was mostly happy for the spectators to get a good result and for the young boys to get a good result, it all took over at once really.”
Tested throughout the match, there were moments of doubt for Jenkin but the bigger picture overruled the thought of a loss in the final quarter.
“There were moments to Poowong’s credit where they really cracked in and didn’t let us cruise through the fourth quarter which was good by them,” he said.
“Footy’s a funny game where you can shock a team if they’re caught out sleeping.”
This week the Bulldogs’ run doesn’t get any easier when they visit Buln Buln but all signs ahead are positive after their victory.
“We’ll definitely strive for a bit of improvement from here in,” Jenkin explained.
“The games that we can win, we’re going to push really hard to win.”
The captain felt indebted to a lot of the team’s staff and volunteers, praising them with gratitude and thanks.
“I’d like to thank the supporters again for sticking strong and all the volunteers at home games and training,” he said proudly.
“There’s never been an empty room through the whole process, we’ve all loved being together.
“Our president Cass has been great through her time and a shoutout to Nick Smith who didn’t unfortunately get to be there yesterday but set the foundations, it’s unfortunate it ended the way it did.
“Petchy did a tremendous job in keeping the young boys invested and engaged, it was pretty emotional for him as well.
“It was a picture perfect day having the massive amount of members, to put on a show for them was perfect timing.”
After a taste of victory, Bunyip has now shown its supporters the light at the end of the tunnel.
Despite a 1-12 record, the one win has reunited an entire community into finding newfound belief.
