The Courier |
IT would have seemed foolish a month ago to suggest Darley was a realistic Ballarat Football League premiership contender.
Before yesterday, Darley had shown it could match it with the best teams, yet it had not been able to get over the line.
The Devils should have beaten Sunbury in round one and North Ballarat City in round six, either of which would have been an enormous scalp.
Both times they dominated the match but simply could not convert, leaving opposition coaches to admit they were lucky to come away with the win.
Click here to read more footy stories at our Footy HQ hub
After seven games, Darley had won just three matches and was clinging to its position within the top six.
But that was then and this is now.
Wins in the past month against Melton and Lake Wendouree are handy, but nothing to bring the BFL world to attention.
However, yesterday's win against Redan, a team the Devils had not beaten since 2008, showed they are a genuine side to be reckoned with.
"We can't control what other people think, that's for them to decide," coach Rod MacPherson said.
"This has been a bogey team for us to some degree.
"It was really important to get this win. It's got our season back on track now and where we want to be."
The consensus around the BFL before the weekend was that the premiership was going to come from Sunbury, North City or Redan.
Maybe throw in East Point as a dark horse, especially given its demolition of Melton and then Lake Wendouree on Saturday.
Now Darley's triumph has thrown all that out the window as it sits in fourth position, just one match
out of the top three.
With Sunbury waiting after both sides face the bye next week, the clash in two weeks' time presents an opportunity for the black and white to once again show its home crowd it is up to the challenge.
And just think, Darley does not have to travel to Ballarat again for the rest of the home and away season.
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
