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HEATHCOTE District Football League powerhouse Lockington-Bamawm United can join some of the great teams of years gone by in winning three premierships in a row on Saturday.
The Cats meet Huntly in the HDFL grand final at Elmore.
Since losing the 2010 grand final to Heathcote by 17 points, the Cats have become the dominant force in the HDFL.
They defeated the Saints by six points in the 2011 grand final to win their first premiership since 1987, and then last year produced a brutal performance against North Bendigo, crushing the Bulldogs by 94 points.
And they have remained at the very top of their game this season.
Aside from an 11-point loss to Huntly in round three, the Cats have won their other 16 games by an average of 62 points.
“The boys have been as hungry as ever this year, which has been fantastic,” Cats coach Kahl Oliver said.
“Our last game in the second semi-final against Huntly two weeks ago was a prime example of that hunger. The boys really had to dig deep to win it, and that’s going to be the same again this Saturday.
“To get through to this week is fantastic, but we’re not just happy to have made another grand final… we’re in it to win it and hopefully, all the hard work pays off.”
Oliver believes one of the main factors why the Cats have produced the consistent quality football they have this season is the constant pressure for positions in the team.
“Everyone has been kept on edge this year with young blokes pushing for spots in the team,” Oliver said.
“We’ve played 40 players and usually, that’s the sign of a side that is battling where you’re changing your team each week.
“We’ve changed ours due to injuries, but we’ve got good depth, and that’s what we’re banking on Saturday – good depth all over the field.”
As well as the deep list, the Cats also boast a near perfect blend of experience and youth.
“You can’t have too many young blokes, and you can’t have too many old blokes,” Oliver said.
“Since I’ve been out there, I’ve had John Halloran, Carl Treacy, Adrian Dohnt, Mick Dobson and those older types with me the whole way through, and they’ve been fantastic.
“They haven’t dropped off in their football at all over the past four years.
“Then to watch Jarrod Bacon turn into the footballer he has become through his first 50 games, plus there’s Matt Bongiovanni and Lachlan Collins, who are in that 24-25 bracket and getting a lot of confidence to play quality senior football consistently.
“And then you throw in the really young ones like Ryan Jensen and the Wolfe boys (Joseph and Samuel)… it all blends into a handy side.”
Like any strong team, the cornerstone of the Cats’ structure is built around a rock solid defence.
The Cats haven’t conceded more than 12 goals in a game this year.
“We’ve had a very settled backline for the past four years… guys like Daniel Lucas, Carl Treacy, Nathan O’Brien and Simon Keleher know how to get the job done down back,” Oliver said.
“Hopefully, our experience will give us the edge on Saturday. We’ve been there before and know what it’s all about and the boys are hungry, so hopefully, that gets us over the line.”
Saturday will be Oliver’s 50th game for the Cats, and also his last as coach, with Dohnt to assume the reins next year.
Having taken over as coach in 2010, Oliver has guided the Cats to 62 wins from 73 games, including the two premierships.
“I’ve loved my time as coach and hopefully, I can finish it off on a good note,” said Oliver, who says he’s “more than likely” to stay on as a Cats’ player next year.
