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OmeoDFLWeekly Times | LINDENOW South spoiled Buchan’s dreams of redemption by claiming the Omeo and District Football League premiership on Saturday.

The Swampies were cleaner with their possessions, found plenty of space and were more efficient in front of goals in Saturday’s decider at Ensay to run out 47-point winners, 22.13 (145) to 13.20 (98).

It was Lindenow South’s third premiership in the past four seasons. It also lost the 2011 decider to Swifts Creek.

Lindenow South victors

Emotions spilled over at the final siren, with Lindenow South playing co-coach Simon Williams embracing captain and league best-and-fairest winner Noel Jansz (above) as the team celebrated.

Buchan was out to right a wrong from last season, when it was disqualified from the decider when it was revealed­ they had played an ineligible player in earlier finals­ matches.

The Cavemen dominated the home-and-away competition this year, losing only one game from 15 rounds, and beat Lindenow South three times in the regular season. But the Swampies, who also beat Buchan in the second semi-final, never gave their opponents a look-in on Saturday, leading all match after piling on the first four goals.

Midfielder Russell White received the best-on-ground honours, while Haydn Erfurth finished with seven goals — the same total he kicked in three home-and-away meetings against the Cavemen — to finish with a season tally of 120. Buchan’s Dylan Bolton, the state’s leading goalkicker, kicked one goal on Saturday to finish with 159 for the year.

Lindenow South president Robert O’Keefe, one of the premiership-winning players, said having a full-strength side helped turn the tables on Buchan­ in the finals.

Several combin­ations of brothers were in the premiership side, including co-coach Wilfred Carter and his brother Anthony, and O’Keefe with his brother Michael­.

“There is no better feeling, you can’t beat it,” O’Keefe said of winning the flag.

“It’s all mates together who have a kick on a Saturday.

“Half of us are related too, it’s a family-orientated club.”

Buchan president Dean Phelan said the events of last year had been motivation only early in the season.

“It might have been to start, but that was it,” he said. “They played well enough in patches (on Saturday), but missed goals. You can’t miss goals, in finals especially.”

Phelan said it was “too early” to know how many of the group would stay at the club next season.

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