For two successive years, Deer Park has had Spotswood’s measure on the Western Region Football League’s biggest stage.
And while Saturday’s 77-point grand final win didn’t match the drama of a one-point victory 12 months earlier, Deer Park playing coach Marc Bullen said the feeling was just as special.
“Twelve months ago the heart was probably still racing when I was talking to you guys,” he said after Saturday’s match.
“The feeling never changes. To be a leader of a terrific bunch of people, not only at the club but also the people associated with it … it’s a true reflection of where the club has been.
“We came down to second division about seven years ago and now we’re sitting on top. While we’re up, we’ll continue to work hard and strive for success.”
PICTURE GALLERY: Deer Park v Spotswood grand final
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After a hard-fought first quarter at Werribee’s Avalon Airport Oval, Deer Park showed why it’s regarded as one of the strongest metropolitan football teams in Melbourne.
In a blistering second term, the Lions flexed their muscle with Kwame McHarg, Chris Stewart, Heath Ayres, Shylo Smith and Bullen himself all hitting the scoreboard.
The 30 minutes of dominance gave Deer Park a lead of 54 points and put the result all but out of Spotswood’s reach by half-time.
Bullen said he felt his side gained momentum midway through the first term.
“[David] Iaccarino got forward and kicked two goals on us [in the first quarter] and I was thinking this isn’t how it’s supposed to pan out,” he said.
“We fought back midway through that first quarter and peppered the goals.
“We probably had too many blokes hunting their own footy forward of centre. We had [James] Wong and [James] Condos jumping into each other a little bit.
“We came out in that second quarter and put the game behind us.”
Deer Park won all 18 matches in the home-and-away season and then blitzed Spotswood by 77 points in the qualifying final. The Lions could have been excused for taking their foot off the throttle in the latter stages of the season with a premiership win looking like a formality.
But Bullen praised his players for their commitment to getting the job done.
The Lions engaged in an eight-week high-intensity training program to ensure they were at their best for finals.
“I know my players have been working their backsides off for the last eight weeks,” Bullen said.
“We did a fit-for-finals campaign, where I have had them in the altitude room at Caroline Springs for three sessions a week.
“Those things go a long way. Our midfielders just continued to run.”
