By Colin MacGillivray
AFTER Broadford’s two-point victory against Yarra Junction on Saturday – only its second senior win in the past four years – there was one small concern on coach Jayden Welch’s mind.
“There were a fair few new boys who hadn’t sung the song before, but everyone knew it, so that was a positive,” he said.
Indeed, the Roos sang the club song with gusto after their 15.9 (99) to 14.13 (97) win at the Eagles’ home ground.
Broadford officially won one game last year when it beat Yea, but with both clubs struggling for player numbers, they merged for the remainder of the season.
Prior to that, the Roos’ last victory came against Lancefield in 2019, when the club was in the Riddell District Football Netball League.
Broadford was made to earn its victory, with the Eagles looking likely to snatch the premiership points in the dying minutes.
While the Roos had led all day, they were unable to put Yarra Junction away on the scoreboard, and when the Eagles kicked back-to-back goals to take a four-point lead at the 29-minute mark of the final quarter, Broadford’s hopes looked dashed.
But at the ensuing centre ball-up, Broadford ruckman Dean Tydell, one of the Roos’ best on the day, thumped the ball forward and Jason Harris earned a free kick.
Harris kicked to a leading Bryce Fleming, who had his arms chopped by Yarra Junction defender Leiwyn Jones and was awarded a free kick 45 metres out on a tight angle.
With the game on the line, Fleming unleashed a huge drop punt that split the middle for his fourth goal of the day, putting Broadford in front.
The Roos then endured a frantic final few minutes that saw Eagles forward Josh Jones mark uncontested and line up for a game-winning goal, only to put his shot out on the full.
Thereafter, Broadford was able to force repeated stoppages and drain the clock, with the players celebrating wildly at the final siren.
Welch paid tribute to his team for its response under pressure.
“When we got a little bit of breathing room, I thought the team backed off a little bit a times. We’d get in front and then they would get a couple of easy goals and we’d have to fight to build the lead back,” he said.
“I think we let our leads slip at time, but to the credit of our mob, once they pegged those goals back we locked on again and got back to how we were playing.
“At the end we had about three minutes of some pretty hectic football, but we were able to hold it in and keep the footy on our terms.”
Welch praised Fleming for not only his cool set shot under pressure, but his work throughout the game.
“Bryce’s [last goal was] about 45 metres out on the boundary line. I’ve played a lot of footy at that ground and to kick a goal from there is very hard,” Welch said.
“His goal kicking was really on point, and he was good around the ground with his second and third efforts.
“He used his bodyweight well because he’s about six foot three, so he’s not the smallest person. Everywhere he played he was massive for us and made an impact.”
Among Broadford’s other standouts were defenders Adam Miles and Josh Delaney, captain Liam Lucas and onballer Braydon Hardstaff, but Welch said it had been a team effort.
“Everyone played their role well. There weren’t any passengers,” he said.
Welch himself was among the Roos’ best, kicking three goals including their penultimate major, but was self-effacing after the game.
“It was good to hit the scoreboard. It’s been a while since I’ve jagged a few, so I was probably due. It was good to contribute,” he said.
Club president Bonnie Cavanagh was overcome with pride after the game.
“I did the timekeeping, and the box was very tense as it was goal-for-goal in stages. A lot of stoppages in the final quarter,” she said.
“I will admit I did shed a tear. They have been working so hard for such a long time now.
“They were just on and everything clicked. They were hard at it, hungry, did the team things, and were so deserving of the win. Reward for effort.”
Broadford can rest up this weekend for a league bye, before facing ladder leader Warburton-Millgrove in another away game on May 27.
Welch said his team would need to process the emotion of the win quickly to be ready for the game.
“There were a lot of positives out of the win, but there’s still plenty of stuff we need to work on,” he said.
“We’ll get back to training and start working on those things and hopefully we can give them a good run.”
Netball
Broadford’s A Grade netballers played a thrilling match of their own on Saturday, downing Yarra Junction by one goal.
The Roos were behind 9-12 after one quarter, as the team struggled to generate scores, but a second-quarter change saw Renee Sari moved into goals alongside Kate Berger.
Sari finished with a match-high 26 goals, with Berger notching 12, with the duo helping the Roos to a six-point lead at half time.
The Eagles came storming back with a 14-goal third quarter to tie the game at 30, but Broadford defender Toni Bootland was able to combine well in defence with Megan Berger in a pivotal final term for the Roos, who went on to a 39-38 win.
Broadford sit on top the A Grade ladder, and the Roos will have an opportunity to move two games clear when they take on second-placed Warburton-Millgrove.
The undefeated Broadford B Grade easily accounted for the Eagles 57-22, with Toni Bootland again among the best players, this time at goal shooter, with 34 goals.
The Roos’ C Grade team produced a huge defensive effort to win 33-9, with Cavanagh scoring 19 goals to lead the side, while the 17 and under side won 16-12, with Ashlyn White, Grace Lauder and Evan O’Dell among the best players.
