By: Matt Fotia
An amazing second-half performance saw Doncaster East Lions claim the Division 2 premiership and end its 11-year drought, defeating Lilydale by 60 points in an emphatic showing at Tormore Reserve on Saturday afternoon.
It would’ve taken a brave soul to predict the final scoreline of 15.11 (101) to 6.5 (41), when the two sides entered the halftime break with just five points separating them, but the class of ex-Carlton players Simon White and Dillion Viojo-Rainbow came to the fore in a dominant second-half.
The gorgeous spring weather experienced all week had disappeared and Tormore Reseve was left with an inconsistent sleet and powerful wind to kick off the Division 2 decider. The conditions seemed to suit the Lilydale line-up, which kicked the first two goals through the unlikely source of winger Daniel Baldwin.
The opening 15 minutes were dictated by the Falcons, whose maniac pressure was emphasised by a Richard Wyles tackle, and diving smother from key forward Lachlan Koger. As the quarter went on the Lions began to steady, and as soon as they corrected their set up behind the ball, they began to gain control of the game, eventually grabbing the lead through Jack Sholakis in the 27th minute of the first quarter, after he slipped through a Jye Sciortino tackle, to kick his second and the Lions fourth, to seem them leading by seven points at the first break.
The second quarter was almost a replica of the first, as the Falcons grabbed the early ascendancy, with goals from Ryan McNay, Callum Morrison and Koger, who had returned to the side for the injured Zak Kennedy. Once again the Lions were able to steady after a frantic start from the Falcons, as Simon White’s influence began to increase, the ex-Blue marking anything that came within a metre radius of him. Late goals once again saw the Lions in front at the siren, with the pick of the bunch an incredible right foot snap from Viojo-Rainbow, after he had cruised past the stoppage and plucked the ball from a Jarrad Smith tap.
The breeze had turned into a strong wind, if not a gale during the halftime interval and was favouring the Lions’ scoring end. Punters around the ground deemed that the Lions needed at least a four goal advantage heading into the final change to be confident of holding off the young Falcons. The tone of which they uttered those words was entirely dependent on what colours they adorned of course.
The players took some time to adjust to the new conditions, as the first five minutes of the third quarter looked to emulate the first-half, but when Nick Batsanis got out the back eight minutes in, to break the deadlock, the game took its final form.
The Lions took a stranglehold on possession, finding targets with almost every kick, White, Brock McLean and Jack Martin the main culprits off half back, and when James Locke fired a handball off to the running Viojo-Rainbow who fired home his third for the afternoon, the writing was well and truly on the wall. That man Viojo- Rainbow popped up just two minutes later to set up Tom Gordon for another Lions major.
The pressure that Lilydale had opened the afternoon with had now passed hands, as Jake Whitling chased down Lachlan Wilson as the Falcons’ live-wire looked to buck the tide and exit the centre square at pace. For all their impressive forays forward, it was this Lions pressure that had curtailed any chance of a Lilydale revival, the Falcons just didn’t look like scoring in the third quarter. When Locke roved the pack to goal and Sholakis snared his third just moments later, the nails seemed firmly placed in the coffin.
If any blue and gold followers held ambitions of an incredible come-from-behind victory, those hopes were dashed almost as quickly as they were formed, when Jake Summers was awarded an early free kick for holding the man and converted. Tom Appleby then officially started the celebrations with a brilliant goal from the left forward pocket, which left the Lions supporters in fits of rapturous applause.
The wind, which was continuing to blow heavily in the Falcons’ direction was now only being used to carry the cheers of the Lions fans. The Lions’ kicking game seemed to grow more and more as time and the Falcons pressure began to run out, with the classy Viojo-Rainbow spraying his sizzling left foot kicks onto his teammates’ chests at will. In the midst of the dazzling skills, a mention must go out to the defensive efforts of the Lions, who conceded just one behind in the entire second half.
Each Lions player who came to the bench in the dying stages was met with hugs, laughter and a few tears, before the final siren finally allowed the emotions of so many near misses to leave their faces and be replaced by pure joy.
Speaking after the initial celebrations, Lions skipper Nick Batsanis said that his side’s preparation during the week had been the key to finally claiming success in Division 2.
“I think we were just really prepared this time around,” Batsanis said.
“Last year, it was as if we were just relieved to get to the grand final and when we got there, Knox rolled us in the first quarter and it just killed any momentum we had.
“So we made sure (this year) that we had a theme all week of intensity and bringing good energy and we started a little slow but we always knew that we’d be able to get on the end of a few in the second-half after having had the week off.”
Coach Steve Buckle also spoke with an immense sense of relief and pride.
“It makes it all worthwhile, of course we’d like to have those ones back (2015, 2017 grand final losses), but this is amazing, this is what it’s all about,” Buckle said.
“This is why we do all the hard work from November, and this is well-deserved for the boys – they’ve had a lot of hard luck of last few years and they thoroughly deserve this.”
Buckle also paid tribute to the entire football club and the sheer amount of effort that goes into a year like the Lions have had.
“It’s not just the players winning that flag, that’s something for the whole club,” he said.
“It is pretty well-known that our committee is small and there is a lot of people who do a lot of hard work and it’s just as much theirs as it is ours.
“This premiership is for everyone.”
Port Melbourne VFL Listed player Dillion Viojo-Rainbow was awarded the Gordon Parker Blue Ribbon Medal for best on ground, kicking three goals in a magnificent performance.
Doncaster East 4.3 7.3 12.7 15.11 (101)
Lilydale 3.2 6.4 6.4 6.5 (41)
Goals:
Doncaster East: Viojo-Rainbow, Sholakis 3, Gordon, Summers 2, Batsanis, Murphy, Locke, Steven, T.Appleby
Lilydale : Baldwin 2, Koger, McNay, Bernsten, Morison
Gordon Parker Blue Ribbon Medal: Dillion Viojo-Rainbow
