Keilor’s path to the 2016 Essendon District Football League premier division premiership was plotted several years ago.
Having won a premiership in Mick McGuane’s first year as coach in 2008, the Blues decided they needed to reassess just a couple of years later.
“We identified that we had to get a core group of 21-year-olds and decided to let them grow and evolve as men over the course of the next four, five, six years,” McGuane recalled on Saturday.
“When you see the fruits of your labour come to fruition like today … to get a grand final on the back of that, not just in seniors and reserves, but the under-18s being in there as well. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to say we got it right.”
The Blues went into Saturday’s grand final against Aberfeldie as underdogs despite winning the second semi-final and the final-round clashes between the two teams.
No one thought the Gorillas could possibly lose to the Blues three times within a matter of four weeks. But the Blues shouldn’t have been underestimated.
As with the last time the two teams met, the Blues jumped out of the blocks early and were impressive in their pressure and hard tackling. The Gorillas looked slow and fumbled more times than supporters would like to remember.
The Blues had a 34-point lead at the first break, with Dean Galea having four goals. He kicked his 100th for the season in the second quarter.
The Blues’ lead was too great for the Gorillas to peg back. They kept the Blues goal-less in the third quarter but could inflict little scoreboard damage themselves.
When the Blues kicked the first goal of the last quarter, the game was over with a final scoreline of 13.13 (91)-9.8 (62) sealing the Keilor premiership.
McGuane said that despite having won the past two games between the sides, the Blues knew it was going to be far from easy.
“I thought our players’ hardness at the start of the game was unbelievable,” he said.
“The biggest challenge in a grand final is getting the preparation right and I felt we timed our run perfectly.
“We got the intensity right and it’s hard to play catch-up footy after that.”
In the second semi-final, the Blues were able to hold off the Gorillas. In the grand final, they did it with ease.
The Gorillas struggled to hit targets and when Kyle Reimers left the ground injured in the third quarter, that task got even harder.
At the other end, the Blues had Galea, who did what he needed to do.
Andrew Browne was awarded the best-on-ground medal, but such was the evenness of the side the club couldn’t find room for him in its best six players.
Galea, who finished with six goals was named the Blues’ best, while Eamonn Ogden, Kane Barbuto, Mason Thomas, Michael Tanner and Michael James were also among the standouts.
While stories will be told of the team and how it won the premiership, some of the individual stories are just as good.
Luke McGuane, who was in hospital after the second semi-final, did everything he could to be fit to play in his first senior premiership.
The decision of Galea to move to the Blues in the off season proved to be the final piece of the puzzle, with the forward celebrating a premiership and 100 goals in the season.
Curtis Taylor, at just 16, is a premiership player after McGuane made a late season gamble to throw some youth into the side.
The Blues reserves celebrated back-to-back flags, defeating Greenvale 10.9 (69)-14.8 (92). In the under-18.5s grand final, Aberfeldie defeated the Blues 18.11 (119)-6.5 (41).
For more pictures of the seniors game, CLICK HERE
