FOR most of the 2007 Yarra Valley Mountain District Football League season, it seemed highly unlikely that Silvan would be playing in today's division one preliminary final.

That's not because the Cats weren't expected to get this far. In fact, it's quite the opposite.

Powered by a quartet of former Essendon players — Gary Moorcroft, Ben Haynes, Marc Bullen and Aaron Henneman — Silvan lost only one home-and-away game and finished on top of the ladder.

The team was so dominant that both Moorcroft, who last week won his third consecutive club best-and-fairest award, and Haynes kicked more than 100 goals.

But last Saturday, Silvan's dream year hit a snag when the Cats lost the second semi-final to Woori Yallock, which is coached by 38-year-old Collingwood premiership ruckman Damian Monkhorst.

Silvan coach Simon Rourke said the 25-point loss was a wake-up call. "We're fortunate to have the second chance," he said.

"Woori Yallock are the West Coast of the Yarra Valley with their midfield, and 'Monkey' just controls the ruck. They've got a real upper hand on everyone else at the stoppages. We were wary of that and we just didn't apply enough pressure to them."



Former Essendon players Marc Bullen (left), Aaron Henneman and Gary Moorcroft have shone for Silvan this year. Ben Haynes also plays for the Cats.
Photo: Justin Mcmanus

Today, Silvan must play against Upwey-Tecoma in the preliminary final at Warburton. A win would set up a highly anticipated rematch with Woori Yallock in the grand final at Healesville next Sunday.

A loss would consign 10 months of expectation to the scrapheap.

"Now the pressure's on," Rourke said. "But we'll go hunting a little bit after being hunted all year. You take a lot out of a loss and we've done that."

Silvan's rise up the ladder from fifth in 2006 has captured plenty of attention among country football fans. The signings of Henneman, Bullen and Haynes certainly had tongues wagging.

But the new arrivals have not blown the Cats' budget. Both Bullen and Haynes were given employment by Silvan life member and local businessman Alan Webb. Neither are paid a cent by the football club.

"It's been fantastic," Rourke said. "The new players have certainly brought professionalism with them. They've been great at training and around the club functions.

"We wanted to recruit good characters and players that wanted to be with us and they've been awesome like that."

Moorcroft, the assistant coach, also works for Webb, as do a number of other listed players.

Webb's contribution allows Silvan, a tiny town in the Dandenong Ranges, 45 kilometres from Melbourne, to compete in division one, despite having few local juniors.

"Silvan's a tiny town with a primary school and a grocery shop," Rourke said. "There's no depth, footy-wise. That's why we have to go out and recruit and we're fortunate to have a major sponsor that can do that for us. But if we didn't, we wouldn't survive.

"I get disappointed when people say it's not fair on the competition. Without that support, it would be another football club falling over and you don't want to see that."

But Silvan's strength this season has drawn criticism from many rivals, including bottom side Olinda-Ferny Creek, which is unhappy that one club has been allowed to recruit so many former AFL players.

To combat this, the Yarra Valley league next year will replace its salary cap — easily circumvented by the Cats, thanks to their relationship with Webb — with a points system.

It will be based on those already operating in a number of country competitions. Former AFL players will be accorded the highest points value.

Rourke hopes the changes are not a knee-jerk reaction to Silvan's one dominant year.

"History shows that Silvan has won one premiership in first division in the history of the club (in 2004)," he said. "This year, we won our first game at Monbulk for 72 years. Now they're trying to change the rules with the points system and I think that's a bit silly."

The Cats' preliminary final opponent, Upwey-Tecoma, has won 11 Yarra Valley league flags and been in four grand finals in the past eight seasons.

Given the flak that Silvan has copped during the year, Rourke said his team would take an "us-versus-them" attitude into the game.

"Everyone wants to see us fall over because we've got the AFL guys," he said. "That's just life, isn't it — the tall poppy syndrome."

Among the biggest drawcards today will be the Moorcroft-Haynes combination up forward. Both players have benefited from Silvan's inability to play at its home ground this season; after years of criticism, it is being resurfaced.

"We've played at Kilsyth and it's a big ground and that has suited out game plan," Rourke said.

"Silvan has the smallest ground in Australia, I think. Haynesy and Moorcroft would have had all sorts of trouble on that ground. They would have been running into each other."

If, as expected, the Cats beat Upwey-Tecoma, the grand final shapes as a mouth-watering contest. Much interest rests on the availability of 43-year-old former Hawthorn star Dermott Brereton, who has played in a handful of Woori Yallock's matches this year, including the two wins over Silvan.

"Unless he has work commitments, I think Dermie will be there," Rourke said. "I just think it's fantastic for country footy. After the game, you go back into the social club and he's in there and he's chatting to all the supporters from both clubs.

"People say he might be keeping a young kid out and the Essendon players that we've got are not fair on the locals. But I just think it makes the competition so much stronger."

Article first appeared: The Age September 16, 2007