South Croydon v Vermont
Head to Head South Croydon – 6 Vermont – 31 Draws – 0
On just the head-to-head record alone, it’s been a very one-sided rivalry with Vermont winning 31 of 37 encounters.
However, the two clubs played off in one of the most memorable Eastern Football Netball League Grand Finals in recent memory.
The 2017 Grand Final was a day all South Croydon fans will never forget, with the Dogs heading into the day as the heavy underdogs. They were up against Vermont who the club had beaten less than a handful of times in all of their meetings.
The Eagles’ side of 2017 was brutal, losing just one game for the Home and Away season. The two met in the 2nd Semi-Final that year, with Vermont winning by 72 points, kicking 13 goals to zero in the second half.
The Dogs defeated Blackburn in a low-scoring Preliminary Final to make their first-ever Division One Grand Final (Premier Division). Adding to the difficulty of the challenge of knocking off the powerhouse of the league on Grand Final Day, key star Max King was a late omission due to food poisoning, replaced by Alex Birch.
With a heavy breeze down to the Mountain Highway end of the ground, South Croydon took a 17-point lead into Quarter Time, despite some inaccuracy.
By Half Time, they were a point down but in the premiership quarter, the Dogs put together three late goals before the three-quarter-time siren to give themselves a four-goal lead going into the last quarter.
Despite the Eagles kicking with the wind in the final term, South Croydon was able to hold on for a ground-breaking first premiership win in the top division of the league.
Alex Birch who was the late inclusion for Max King played his role, kicking an important long goal in the final term and Frank Anderson sealed it in the late stages of the game.
An unforgettable day for the Dogs was topped off with Captain Daniel King being named as the Blue Ribbon medallist for best on the ground.
A year later, Vermont had its revenge, defeating South Croydon in the 2018 Grand Final. The first of back-to-back flags for the Eagles.