By Adam McNicol

 

ALMOST a year ago, the Garfield Football Club was in disarray. Frustration, brought on by the Victorian Country Football League's decision in 2004 to place it in Gippsland's strongest competition, had boiled over.

 

In late 2004, Garfield was flying high. It recently had won the premiership in the West Gippsland Latrobe league's western division.

 

But the VCFL then decided to disband the western division. Garfield, located among picturesque, rolling, green hills just an hour from Melbourne, was promoted to the region's major league.

 

The club's success subsequently dried up. Last year, the Stars won only five games. A number of supporters became disenchanted with the situation.

 

Many couldn't understand why Garfield, a town of only 800 people, was being forced to try and compete with teams from rural cities such as Traralgon, which has a population of 20,000. They were also fed up with playing games as far away as Sale; a distance of 140 kilometres.

 

Last August, during a heated meeting, Garfield's members narrowly voted to leave the West Gippsland Latrobe league and drop back to the nearby, lower-standard Ellinbank Football League. However, the turmoil wasn't finished. The Ellinbank board refused to accept a 15th club. Garfield's future hung in the balance. Eventually, one of the Stars' finest former players took charge. Neville Bow, who won five best-and-fairest awards in a career that spanned 361 games, stepped in as president, replacing Judy Bishop. Bow won support for Garfield to remain in the major league and declared the club could be successful. Few people believed him.

 

But what a difference 10 months has made. At the halfway mark of the 2007 West Gippsland Latrobe league season, Garfield sits second on the ladder, having lost only two games. Along with top team Sale and perennial contender Maffra, the Stars, to the surprise of many, are rated a genuine premiership chance.

 

"What happened last year is just about dead. It has nearly gone," Bow said. "When you start winning, people forget what's been going on."

 

The new president has overseen the expansion of the Garfield's committee from only five members to 14.

"Six of us on the committee have played in premierships together and we all know what's good for the club because we've been there, we've been a part of success," he said.

 

Unlike many other flag contenders across the state, Garfield has not improved its on-field fortunes on the back of high-priced recruiting. In the off-season, its only big signing was assistant coach Brent Eastwell from Ellinbank club Buln Buln.

The team's biggest boost has been the return of star midfielder Andy Soumilas and robust forward Dean MacFarlane from leg injuries.

 

Garfield's success also has come despite three-time best and fairest Lincoln Withers walking out after just two games, following a massive offer to play for Central Murray league club Balranald.

 

Rather than feeling threatened by their rivals, the Stars are now taking inspiration from their underdog status. "Every week, it's David versus Goliath for us," said former president John Barnes. "We treat it as a real us-against-them mentality. I suppose it's a small town syndrome."

 

Last weekend, Garfield hosted high-flying Sale; the only team to have beaten the Stars this season and one that is based in a town of 14,000 people.

 

Coming off the bye, Garfield started slowly. Sale's defence, led by silky-skilled ex-Kangaroos player Stuart Anderson, dominated the Stars' highly-rated forward line.

 

Former Adelaide-listed onballer Jacob Schuback was also impressive for Sale, as the Magpies set up a five-goal lead at quarter-time. With Garfield refusing to kick the ball long and direct to its forwards, the margin was still 28 points at the last change.

 

Garfield coach and key position player Ben Soumilas, a local school teacher, urged his men to do something in the final quarter of which they could be proud. They didn't let him down. The Stars kicked four unanswered goals and looked set to snatch an improbable win. After a heart-stopping final five minutes, they fell two points short.

 

"Go back to your big stinking city!" one of their most passionate supporters yelled at the Sale contingent, shortly after the siren sounded.

 

When he addressed the players in Garfield's rustic changerooms, Ben Soumilas blamed the loss on a lack of commitment to training. But he hopes the disappointment of the loss to Sale will help motivate the team.

 

"It's no use being up there at the halfway mark if we're not there at the end," he said.

 

Ben Soumilas is also adamant Garfield is best served by playing in the strongest competition it can. "Why would I want to drive out to Poowong and beat Poowong? I don't give a s--- about Poowong. I want to beat Sale or Traralgon. Look at the size of those towns. I'd rather hang my hat on that than go and beat Neerim-Neerim South," he said.

 

Whether Garfield can compete long-term in the West Gippsland Latrobe league remains unclear. The club's juniors are struggling, with both the under 18s and under 16s winless. "They don't want to travel 180 to 200 kilometres to play footy and get beaten by 20 goals," Bow said. "If they drive up to Nar Nar Goon or go to Bunyip, they might win a few games and they're only travelling 20 kilometres maximum no matter where they play.

 

"For us to lose junior players at the rate we are now won't show in the next two years. But once the older generation starts dropping off, we'll have no one to replace them unless we go out and pay big dollars, which we can't afford to do. It's a matter of trying to convince the kids and their parents that we're in the right league."

 

Despite the lack of juniors, Garfield is improving its facilities so the club can survive, no matter where it ends up. A $90,000 grant will ensure its rundown changerooms are replaced by the start of next season.

 

In the meantime, the Stars' faithful are banding together to support the quest for a flag. "If there's a more passionate club than us, I don't know where it is," Barnes said. "It's just a really good footy culture."

Article first appeared: The Age July 1, 2007