NIGHT finals are part and parcel of Bendigo Football and Netball League seasons these days, but the rostering of these popular fixtures only came about four years ago.
Indeed, the very first football match under lights for premiership points was held just a decade ago at Maryborough's Princes Park.
On September 1st, 2000 Kangaroo Flat handed defending premiers Maryborough a 75-point hiding to end the Magpies' season before a ball had been kicked in that year's finals.
The Flat-Maryborough match was the opening match for Round 18 in the Sydney Olympics year.
And had it not been for constant rain at Princes Park, the dual reigning premiers would have been handed a far worse hiding than the 17.17 (119) to 6.8 (44) loss they ultimately endured.
With the completion of the QEO re-development and the erection of four, huge light towers in the mid-2000s, the BFL board of management rostered night matches for the first two weekends of the finals series. That started in 2006.
Nowadays the marquee games on elimination/qualifying final weekend followed by the standout clash in the first/second semi-finals weekend are listed for Saturday nights.
These games attract enormous crowds. People love night footy, especially when the weather is a little balmier than it has been for most of August.
BACK at the start of September a decade ago, the Princes Park Pies were battling to keep their season alive.
They weren't helped when key midfielder Rick Andrews and gun forward Glenn Bardsley were late withdrawals for the Friday night clash under lights.
However a six-goal haul to the Roos' full-forward ‘Hollywood' David Lancaster and a dominant midfield led by Dallas Slingo, Shannon Milward and Aaron Hawkins (still plying his craft with Golden Square 10 years on) set up the Flat's confidence-boosting victory.
Roo coach Derrick Filo said his club had a point to prove. "We probably went into this game as underdogs," he said.
"For some reason, a lot of people were tipping against us. We thought that we weren't given the respect we deserve --- we were the second-placed team playing against the sixth-placed team.
"I was happy with the way the boys went about it."
Filo praised the concept of night footy.
"The lighting facilities were great and we're quite happy to play night football in the future," he added.
With the loss to Maryborough, Gisborne made the Top Five in their first BFL season. Steven "Action Attraction" Reaper booted four goals in the Bulldogs' final home and away game to move to 101 majors for the season, with the elimination final still to be played.
KANGAROO FLAT 4.2 10.6 13.8 17.17 (119)
MARYBOROUGH 2.3 4.3 6.6 6.8 (44)
GOALS -- Kangaroo Flat: Lancaster 6, Jorgensen 2, Filo 2, Henderson, Wicks, Landry, S. Milward, Hawkins, Rogers, D. Slingo. Maryborough: Chadwick 3, J. Bond, Nicholson, Tatchell.
BEST --- Kangaroo Flat: Dallas Slingo, Lancaster, S. Milward, Hawkins, Rodda, Wicks, and Smith. Maryborough: Chadwick, Tatchell, Clinton Ross, Wootton.
Crowd: 3000.
ON TO season 2006 and the first lot of finals to be played under the QEO lights: the qualifying and second semi-finals.
Golden Square enjoyed spectacular success at night on the first two weekends of that year's finals series, winning both games.
The Dogs beat South Bendigo in a qualifying final shootout and then a week later downed top of the table Gisborne in a tight, tough second semi-final.
That second semi win catapulted the Square into the 2006 grand final as the first club to make the big day.
Let's have a close, analytical look at those night finals played four years ago.
Square coach Darren Walsh labelled his side's 26-point qualifying final win over South as the Bulldogs' best performance of the season.
The Bulldogs kicked eight of the last 10 goals of the final to win 19.22 (136) to 16.14 (110) in front of a big QEO crowd.
"It was our best win of the season, but you really can't enjoy the finals until you hold that (Bendigo Advertiser) premiership cup," said Walsh after the game, which was the very first BFL final to be played under lights. "From now on until the grand final --- if we make it --- it's just going to be hard work."
The tight-knit Dog defence was ruthless in the second half. Luke Rosa had close to 30 kicks playing across half-back and marked everything which came his way while the courageous Aaron Hawkins, who copped a heavy knock in the third quarter, rebounded well all night.
And Dillon Anderson, Matt Tyrell and Anthony Holdstock all combined superbly to restrict the Bloods to just five goals in the second half after they'd booted 11 in the first.
Experienced Glenn Keast was also dominant in the second half playing as a loose man in defence. While the Square back six dominated, young players such as Matt Klein-Breteler, Adrian McErvale and James Walsh also shone on the finals stage.
Speedy Klein-Breteler kicked two goals and was particularly prominent early with his run and carry of the ball telling factors.
McErvale restricted South coach Danny "Breeza" O'Bree's influence while Walsh collected important midfield possessions.
Ruckman Wes Pye was a standout and Stacy Fiske, with three goals after starting on the pine, was lively.
Golden Square led by two points at half-time, fighting back after South had dashed away to a 14-point lead 13 minutes into the second term thanks to a goal from Marty Shadbolt.
The Bloods had the use of a tricky, night breeze in the third quarter and after nailing three of the first four goals led by two, straight kicksd at the 14-minute mark.
But the Bloods would kick just two more goals for the night --- both late in the final stanza --- while the hard-running Dogs added a further 8.9 to win easing up.
O'Bree was bitterly disappointed with the Red and Whites who at that stage had lost the past four qualifying finals they had contested between 1997 and 2006.
Jared Keely was a four-quarter trier for the Boods with his run from defence important. Captain John Hardinge battled valiantly in the ruck against Pye while midfielders Josh Dawson (3 goals) and Brendan Jennings did their best to lift South.
Full-back James Flaherty (now the Bendigo Bombers skipper) won his battle with Matt O'Toole, restricting the Square forward to just three goals.
South Bendigo played half of the first quarter with just 17 players after forward Leigh Burke was yellow carded in the opening five minutes.
GOLDEN SQUARE 5.4 10.12 15.14 19.22 (136)
SOUTH BENDIGO 7.3 11.4 14.9 16.14 (110)
GOALS --- Golden Square: Matt O'Toole 3, Stacy Fiske 3, Jason Griffin 2, Adrian McErvale 2, Matt Klein-Breteler 2, Adam Bovalino 2, Mark Lloyd, Wes Pye, Luke Rosa, Darren Walsh, James Walsh. South Bendigo: Josh Dawson 3, Dayne Frew 3, Michael Leech 3, Luke Beattie 2, Brendan Jennings 2, Leigh Burke, Ryan Connaughton, Grant Tasca.
BEST --- Golden Square: Rosa, Aaron Hawkins, Pye, Matt Tyrell, D. Walsh, Klein-Breteler, Keast, McErvale, and J. Walsh. South Bendigo: Keely, Hardinge, Josh Dawson, Flaherty, Jennings, R. Connaughton.
THE BULLDOGS reached their first grand final since 2002 -- and their 29th overall --- after a shocking start against Gisborne in 2006's night second semi-final.
Despite kicking with the wind the Wade Street Dogs were four goals down late in the first quarter on the Saturday evening.
But the Square gave Gisborne a taste of its own medicine by kicking eight of the next nine goals to grab a 16-point lead going into the final term.
The Gardiner Reserve Dogs had the wind at their backs in the vital last stanza but Square dug deep to keep the reigning premiers at bay.
Square had beaten Gisborne twice in the 2006 season following the second semi-final success and by rebounding brilliantly from their early 25-point deficit they showed tons of fighting spirit.
The Wade Street Dogs booted nine goals to four after the long break and even though Darren Farrugia's major at the 21-minute mark of the last term closed the gap to seven points (81-74), Square skipper Adam Bovalino goaled to ice the game.
GOLDEN SQUARE 2.3 4.6 10.9 13.10 (88)
GISBORNE 5.2 6.7 7.11 10.14 (74)
GOALS - Golden Square: Klein-Breteler 2, McErvale 2, M. O'Toole 2, D. Walsh 2, J. Walsh 2, Bovalino, Fiske, Keast. Gisborne: Darren Farrugia 2, Luke Saunders 2, Richard White 2, Daniel Sipthorpe, Matt Fitzgerald, James McFarlane, Ollie Messaoudi.
BEST --- Golden Square: Pye, Holdstock, Klein-Breteler, Dillon Anderson, Clayton Anderson, McErvale, Mark Lloyd. Gisborne: Michael Dillon, Messaoudi, Cameron Medica, David Power, Rod Sharp, Anthony Belcher.
Gisborne was ready to welcome back key players for the preliminary final showdown against South. Ruckman Jason Duff-Tytler and midfielder Shane "Dog" Davis played solidly in the reserves second semi-final loss to Eaglehawk.
Richard's tips for first week of finals: South Bendigo by 37 points over Eaglehawk, Sandhurst by 19 over Maryborough. 2010 season total: 77.
By Richard Jones
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