By: Joseph Arthur
IN a contest that had one of the most dramatic finishes of any game in recent memory, it was the Tigers who roared in the end as Mitcham held on to win the Division 2 grand final, defeating Ringwood by two points.
It was the Redbacks’ second grand final loss in as many years, after a kick after the siren to win fell agonisingly short. It was total elation for Mitcham as it emerged victorious.
A dramatic finish was only fitting for a Tigers outfit which had seen plenty of drama in the finals prior to the big dance.
Following a goal-less opening term trailing by 39 points at the first break, the Tigers never quit and fought their way back into the contest before narrowly holding on in a see-sawing affair.
Mitcham senior playing-coach Neil Winterton said after there was nothing but “excitement” in the rooms prior to the game, things weren’t looking quite as positive at quarter time.
“I just told them to remain calm, unfortunately we’d been in that position just two weeks earlier when we conceded the first six against Heathmont, so I just reminded them ‘don’t panic’,” Winterton said.
“We’ve been in this position before, we can work our way back out of it, just keep that belief.
“There was quite a breeze and to be honest we probably just lost our heads a little bit late in that (first) quarter.”
By half time the match was almost level and an arm-wrestle of a second half ensued.
Winterton said his side’s ability to constantly respond to adversity and never quit came from its first final against Heathmont, where the Tigers won in extra-time despite trailing by 35 points earlier in the day, along with having two men down.
“That first final against Heathmont just gave our boys a huge amount of belief, that regardless of the situation in the game if we just continue to do what makes us a good team we’re hard to beat,” Winterton said.
“It was just an incredible three-week run.
“After the Heathmont win, leading into the preliminary final, Boronia was the only team we hadn’t beaten and we hadn’t really got close, so that was obviously a huge hurdle for us to get over.
“Then coming up against Ringwood who had been there (the grand final) the year before and probably had that little bit of extra motivation given what had happened the previous season.
“To get the win, it just sort of highlights the character of the group.”
After suffering some inconsistency early in the year, Mitcham’s young outfit came together and figured it all out at the perfect time.
Winterton said his young outfit played together for years as juniors and their desire to win and past success in junior footy was the difference on the day and throughout the finals.
“A lot of the young guys just have that make-up of hating to lose and that’s what it was in the end, they were willing to do whatever it took to win,” he said.
Tigers captain Jackson Glossop expressed what the premiership meant for the club and the supporters.
“There was a bit of shock that we’d done it (won the grand final),” Glossop said.
“It was just good to see how much everyone around the club – all the supporters and the other players – how much it meant to them all.
“You’ve just got to be pretty proud of all the boys.”
