Omnia   

newtown chilwellAfter 13 rounds of the Geelong Football League season, Newtown & Chilwell's senior footy team appeared on track to break its 28-year premiership drought.

 

The Eagles, who are coached by three-time Geelong premiership player David Wojcinski and have former Cats star Joel Corey among their playing ranks, were a game clear on top of the ladder.

They had scored twice as many points as they had conceded, their percentage was more than 50 points higher than their nearest rival, and they had wins over fellow flag contenders Leopold, St Joseph's and Colac under their belt.

But thanks to the decline of South Barwon, which has missed the finals for the first time since 2003, this has proven to be one of the most intriguing GFL seasons in recent memory. And the fluctuating fortunes of Newtown & Chilwell are a case in point.

Although the Eagles stumbled in rounds 14 and 16, when they lost to Leopold by eight points and Colac by 20, they were still second on the ladder heading into last weekend's final round of home and away matches.

Wojcinski's men entered their game, which was at home against fourth-placed St Mary's, knowing a win would guarantee them a top-three finish and a double-chance in the finals.

However, they put in a shocker, and their 50-point loss to the Saints saw them slide to fourth on the ladder.
As a result, Newtown & Chilwell has to front up against Colac in Sunday's elimination final at Geelong West knowing that another poor showing will bring an abrupt end to a season that had promised so much.

"The boys were pretty disappointed with the way they played last weekend, and I was too," Wojcinski said. "I think they just had a bad day at the wrong end of the season.

"The week before, the boys got themselves up to play South Barwon. We hadn't beaten them in a long time, and they got themselves up to win that game, then came out a bit flat the following week.

"So we had to sit down and have a good chat and make sure we're up and ready to go for this weekend, and I know the lads are super-pumped for it.

"Even though we were in a strong position a few weeks ago, I still think fourth is a pretty good spot.
"Finals footy is always exciting. The weather is going to be great. It's just a great time of year to be playing footy."

The Newtown & Chilwell footy club, which has a history dating back to 1934, enjoyed its most recent period of sustained success after being part of the breakaway group that formed the GFL in 1979.

Bolstered by some big-name recruits, the Eagles contested five grand finals between 1981 and '87, winning the flag in '82, '85 and '86.

They were coached by former Geelong and Fitzroy player Kevin Higgins throughout that period, and in each of their premiership years they boasted the competition's leading goal kicker.

Higgins kicked 131 goals in 1982, while John Scarlett, the father of Geelong champion Matthew Scarlett, slotted 104 majors in '85. Russell Webber then booted 95 goals in '86.

Among the other players of note was Basil Flynn, who won the club's best and fairest in the last two of those premiership years. Flynn had previously played six games for Geelong under the coaching of Tom Hafey, the first of them at the age of 27.

Newtown & Chilwell's glory days ended when the club struck financial problems in late 1980s. Then, in the words of secretary Brian Mudge, "the 1990s weren't very kind to us".

In the past decade, however, the Eagles have regained their credibility. Their senior side made the grand final in 2005 (they lost to South Barwon by 21 points) and it has regularly made the finals since then.

The club's many junior teams have prospered as well, and its division one under-14 side, which is coached by injured Geelong half-forward Daniel Menzel, is playing in a grand final against St Joseph's on Sunday morning.

A couple of hours later, Wojcinski's boys will run out against Colac, which is another team that was expected to finish in the top three but stumbled late in the season. The Tigers, who won their most recent senior flag in the Hampden league in 1993, were thrashed by St Joseph's last weekend and slid from third to fifth on the ladder.

Those late-season hiccups mean that both Newtown & Chilwell and Colac can't afford to slip up again. But given how even the GFL has been this season, the winner of their elimination final will remain very much in premiership contention.

"Any of the five sides in the finals could win it," Wojcinski said. "Hopefully a bit of luck goes our way."

By Adam McNicol

Article first appeared The Sunday Age, Aug 31 2-14