SOME things have changed in the Wimmera Football League this season. Nhill made the top five for the first time in seven years, while Warrack Eagles have broken a similar drought, winning a final for the first time since taking the flag in 2002. But the top of the ladder has an awfully familiar look. Once again, the Horsham Demons are peering down at the rest of the competition.
And such has been the club's streak of success, it is set to win a record seventh consecutive premiership when the WFL grand final takes place at Horsham City Oval next Saturday.
"I don't think anyone can beat them at this stage," says David Stewart, a farmer near Warracknabeal and president of the Eagles, who were thrashed by the Demons in last weekend's second semi-final. "To be honest, it's a big task."
As Horsham had already collected so much silverware, the Wimmera league's other eight clubs hoped the Demons would finally lose their edge in 2009. Instead, this season has been one of the their finest.
Horsham's senior side won all of its 16 home-and-away games. The narrowest winning margin was 29 points against Minyip-Murtoa in round two. On the eve of the finals, the Demons beat Scott Turner's battling Ararat side by 188 points.
Yet, Horsham has not bolted clear of the pack by bringing in high-priced recruits. Rather, the club is profiting from its investment in a junior development program that is among the best in the state.
"Of the people that played on the weekend, 90 per cent of them have played juniors with us," states Demons president Bruce Hartigan. "Our main players are boys whose fathers ran around with us in the '60s and '70s."
Stewart concurs. "They've got a great bunch of kids coming through at the moment. They've got 15- and 16-year-old kids playing senior footy, and they're very accomplished at it."
Further proof of Horsham's ability to identify and nurture young talent came when six Demons - Chris Curran, Chris Giampaolo, Nathan Kelly, Michael O'Callaghan, Dylan Parish and Jake Ward - were included in the North Ballarat Rebels' 45-player squad.
And it got better. When the Rebels played a TAC Cup game in Horsham in early July, all six young Demons were selected in the team. Giampaolo, the son of former Melbourne rover Frank Giampaolo, booted two goals and has since attracted interest from AFL clubs.
"The Rebels cover a huge region from Ballarat to Warrnambool and everything in between, so to have six kids playing from the one club is a phenomenal effort," Hartigan explains. "We're really proud of that."
Rather than bemoan Horsham's dominance, many other WFL clubs are waking up to the importance of junior development. This focus has resulted in the Warrack Eagles producing an AFL player, with young gun Kyle Cheney making his debut with Melbourne this year.
Nhill, meanwhile, has drawn particular praise for promoting many local kids to play alongside its high-profile recruit Chris Ladhams, the former Essendon and Adelaide half-forward. This mix of youth and experience helped the Tigers breathe new life into the competition by making a long-awaited appearance in the finals.
Two weeks ago they charged into premiership contention by thrashing Stawell in the elimination final. A huge crowd turned out for the game and the gate topped $15,000, which was $5000 up on the usual figure. Nhill almost rode its wave of support all the way to the preliminary final, but after trailing the Horsham Saints by five goals at three-quarter-time in last Sunday's first semi, they stormed home, only to fall two points short.
"Wherever they go, people seem to travel in huge numbers," says Western Vic Football general manager Stephen McQueen. "They've got an excellent junior program and they're a club with a really bright future."
While Nhill and others are benefiting from their youth policies, they can learn from the Horsham Demons' reputation for off-field stability as well. Hartigan has been president for almost a decade. At the start of his reign, the Demons were regarded as underperformers. Now they are unbeatable.
"We were languishing on the bottom 10 years ago, so it's been a phenomenal chain of events. It's good management, a bit of luck and whole lot of things that have come together. Now everyone would like to see us get knocked off."
Adding to the Demons' stability, senior coach Stuart Farr is in his fourth year at the helm.
"Stuart's one of the heartbeats of the club," says Hartigan. "He's been with us since he was a junior and he holds so much respect with the juniors. He been able to keep a lid on things and make sure the boys achieve what they want to achieve."
Farr and full-forward David Johns, who ran out in the E. J. Whitten legends game during July, are the only players to have featured in all of the Demons' six straight flags.
While Johns has enjoyed a relatively quiet campaign - he has booted 66 goals in 13 games - he remains a key member of the line-up, and slotted six majors in the semi-final victory over the Eagles last weekend.
A tough onballer, Farr also continues to make his presence felt. He was named among the best players against the Eagles and has committed to coaching the Demons again next year, when he and his club will set out to capture a truly remarkable eighth consecutive premiership.
But maybe, just maybe, we are getting a little bit ahead of ourselves. It does pay to remember that flag number seven hasn't actually been won. There is still a game to be played next Saturday. Footy really can be a funny game and massive upsets do happen.
Yet, as the Horsham Saints and Warrack Eagles prepared to do battle in yesterday's preliminary final, Stewart felt his club should probably approach that clash as if it was the big one.
"Whether we're playing off for second spot, I'm not sure. It's not mission impossible but it's a monumental task for whoever gets there. They are a very, very good country footy side.
"But it goes in cycles and it will turn around, I'm optimistic. We just had good rain out here and the cropping country's looking magnificent. If we can get a good finish that'll put a bit of spark back into the place. Might help bring in a few footballers out our way as well."
By Adam McNicol
Article first published The Sunday Age, September 6, 2009
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