The Courier |
EVERY now and again a team will turn in a performance that has the ability to ignite a season.
Creswick's stirring 32-point triumph over Daylesford on Saturday was surely just that.
The Wickers proved that their surprising 12-point victory against the Bulldogs in round four of last year was no fluke, repeating the dose on the Central Highlands Football League reigning premier with a blistering 10-goal final term.
This win, in perfect conditions at Doug Lindsay Reserve, was one from a team that carried no passengers and had every member heading in the one direction.
It was a win that thrilled new coach Len Watson, who had questioned his own message after the senior side's upset five-point loss to Carngham-Linton a week before.
"When you come to a new club you want to try and establish yourself. It's not about me, it's about (the players), but there is an enormous amount of satisfaction," Watson said on Saturday.
"I just feel really satisfied. I went home after last week and I was just demoralised and wondered if the message I'm trying to give is the right one. Today just affirms what you believe in."
The return of former coach Damian Lubeek, for his first senior match of the year, must not be underestimated. And it isn't by a man who knows just how vital the veteran's on-field guidance has become to the group over the past couple of years.
"I rang Damian Tuesday night and said 'we need you' and he jumped on board. I said 'all I want out of you is your voice and leadership and that'll do me' but he's brave, isn't he?," Watson said.
"This is the stuff we know we are capable of. I must admit, I thought they went to another level (on Saturday). I really thought our kids stood up in the last quarter."
While Creswick was lifting the roof off the clubrooms with the club theme song, the boys from Clunes were doing the same in Hepburn.
The Magpies clinched a win of similar magnitude on Saturday, rolling Daylesford's neighbours by 17 points.
Locals say it has been about 11 years since Clunes beat the Burras a win that will be a massive boost of confidence for coach Justin Johns and his men.
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