Well it's taken me a while to get over the shock and pure pride of our guy's and great club beating the wEPgirls in yesterdays grand final.
That was just an amazing hard fought team effort and the most proud and pleasing flag that Ive ever seen in my life (being too young to remember the 1973) Words cannot express the pride & joy I have in the Team, Club and Coach for giving such a great account of themselves and rewarding not only themselves but all of us loyal supporters with the ultimate pinnacle of a premiership cup in 2014.
That song kept on playing and I kept on singing !!! Getting down there close to the team you could see what it meant to them but I hope they realise they have made all us supporters lives so much happier after that great team effort.
The crowd was average - not many of us subi supporters (we don't have many)but there were many delusional EP pretender supporters who think the comp is even and the alignment is good for the comp and their club - well don't get me started!!!
They all came along expecting to win.
My voice is still recovering - Everytime an Eagle kicked a goal for EP I shouted "Go you mighty Eagles" If one of their own players kicked one then I'd say nothing.(mind you that didn't happen much)
We get a goal i'd shout " Go Subi - we can beat the Eagles" The EP supporters around me gradually thinned out ??? My plan had worked - my voice is loud. One EP supporter yelled to me they're all wearing black and blue today mate ??? Well true but they didn't have black and blue blood flowing through their veins and that showed through in the end.
I don't blame the players for EP or the supporters - they had no choice in the matter but if you think it's a level playing field well you best dissapear now as it's not worth me talking to you. I wish the real EP could return some day - I loved playing them. How about you rise up with people power and piss the board off and raise some funds on your own 2 feet??? We'd love to have the real EP back in the comp - we miss you !!!
Anyway back to the game -
We were up against it from the start - a G7 club against 11 Eagles - and the 2nd year league coach up against the coach of the year ??? What were our chances ???????? - well I thought very little but I knew if everything went 100% our way (and it did) we were a sniff.
To start off with well done Swans in the colts you showed the way all year and to WP who won the ressies on pure belief and hard work for each other in the last quarter when the game was there to be won - Well deserved and I felt for our boys who had an outstanding year but weren't good enough on the day. I think we used the handball too much and were waiting for someone to make it happen but it never did and to WP's credit they wanted it more - congrats again. I actually said to ben at the final siren theres hope for our league as the underdog got up.
I was really worried that last weeks lucky win over the sharks would be a big disadvantage to us as it would have taken a lot of energy out of our players and it was a bruising tuff encounter - but no it gave us belief in ourselves and made us stronger. Three top class inclusions were good but are they going to be able to perform on the big stage when it counts ???
In the 1st the big men of EP looked dangerous (J.Smith,Johnson,McInness,Sinclair) I though shit we're in deep shit here but after the 10min mark we settled.
Interesting match-ups were Mcginnity on Horse,Brennan on Yarran,Rumba on J.Smith,Stevo on McInnes, Wheeler on Sinclair,Leishman on Hill and I thought well if we can hold our own there we will be half a chance. We played very physical as were the conditions but waisted some opportunities although so did EP and we over used the handball with mistakes costing us.
Subis best - Horse,Bristow,Phelan,Hilda,J.Deluca,Yarran (although he struggled to keep his feet and had more time on occassions than he thought),Hampson
EP - The big fellas as stated b4 plus,Wilson,butler,A.Smith
The good news for Subi you could see that all 3 inclusions for subi were fit and here to play.
The 2nd a good even contest again with our backline playing well as a unit.For EP Lee played well,J.Smith with 2 goals,Hill was better,Wilson,Brennan and butler.
For subi - I loved the courage of bristow and phelan/horse all on the ball running in numbers helping each other out at every opportunity. Wortho was spoiling well,Stocks doing good things in the ruck & around the ground,hampson a great goal,C.Deluca, Latham doing well on Wulff and the backline tight as - Rumble,Twoms,Stevo,leish and wheeler.
Was glad to see we were still with EP at half time but my concerns were that with hampson pulling a hami on the wing and going off and the extra fitness of EP we would get run over like a freight train in the 3rd quarter ???
The 3rd EP got one from Eagle McInnes and it looked like trouble time in the 1st 10mins but Subi settled again. For EP lee, cadwallader and colledge were looking dangerous. At about the 20min mark we were only 5 points up but when they swiched on the lights subi turned it on getting some brilliant goals - Horse,C.deluca,waters and then Le Fanu gifted EP a goal deep in their forward line to give EP a sniff but hampson back on the ground in a miracle bombed a long inspirational goal after a mark from a fast yarran kick forward.
McGinnity went off injured, Horse goaled soon after and Bristow snapped a beauty - Subi could do no wrong ??? Hill missed a goal on the siren which summed up his afternoon. A well deserved 28 point lead at 3/4 time built on gut running footy with numbers at the fall of the footy, doing the hard things that are required in a GF and helping out your team mates. Subi forced the ball forward in numbers and were playing for each other. As a supporter this is as good as it gets seeing your team click when it matters - celebrating goals - fist pumping the air.
One would think this was a flag winning lead but at subi we've lost the impossible before and knew the players had to fight it out hard in the last,want it more as EP weren't the top team for no reason. EP fitness may show through ???
Subi missed a couple of early snaps that could have wrapped it up but EP came running through the centre Cadwallader ran hard and was everywhere,lee,Clutterbuck - the real EP boys busted their guts trying to get up. J.Smith missed a sitter & Eagle McInnes. The heavy rain started to fall and EP's run was too late - Subi worthy winners - the deserving victors - a win for subi - a win for the true WAFL fan.
The underdog gets up the royal supporters leave in vast numbers - Glory Glory celebrations.
The presentations are rained on Wulffy speaks well. I feel for him and the true EP players - I feel for the true EP supporter who has followed their club for years and now has only a shell and past memories of a great club with great traditions - gone in one season - thrown away by people in suits - lives shattered.
Schoey is a magician - acknowledges Sheed and Sinclair as their own (Subis) and Sincaliar went up and shook the Subi players hand - he knows he missed out on a flag with his mates.Bristow the Simpson, Rumba a 5th premiership - that sounds out of this world - a 5 time premiership player - it just doesn't sound possible ??????? - The song plays on and on and on again - players go to the small but vocal loyal supporters,past players,former team mates and reserve players unite in celebrations.
What a win - what a game - what a team - you f in beauty !!!
Play the song one more time - play it for a year - This is the sweetest one of all !!
