LAST Sunday Lockington-Bamawm United made a clean sweep of the football medals at the Heathcote District Football League vote count.
Adrian Dohnt won the Cheatley Medal for the seniors; Rob Baldock the Morgan Medal for the reserves; and Rhys Woodland the Roulston Medal for the under-17s.
Tomorrow, the Cats have the opportunity to make another clean sweep – this time of the three grand finals.
The Cats’ seniors, reserves and under-17 sides have all made tomorrow’s grand finals at Colbinabbin in what is a tremendous achievement by the club.
Although, while proud of the fact all three of his football teams have earned the right to vie for the premiership, Cats president Neville Sims was taking a low-key approach in the lead-up this week.
While the farming township of Lockington – with a population of about 400 – is abuzz with anticipation of what tomorrow may bring, Sims knows there is still plenty of hard work to be done before there’s any cause for celebration.
“There’s no use getting too excited about it yet,’’ said Sims, who is in his fourth season as Cats’ president.
“To get three sides in is something we’re really pleased about, but there’s three games that still have to be won on Saturday.’’
For the Cats’ senior team, tomorrow presents an opportunity to end a lengthy 23-year premiership drought for the club.
The Cats’ last senior flag was won in 1987 when they were a part of the Echuca District Football League.
The Cats beat Moama in the 1987 grand final, with the premiership-winning coach Wayne Bell, whose son, Luke, will play for Heathcote tomorrow.
Since they joined the HDFL, the Cats have had one chance to win a grand final.
That was in 2002 when Brett Armstrong was at the helm as playing coach.
After ending the home and away season third with an 11-5 record, the Cats beat Broadford by seven points in the qualifying final and Colbinabbin by 13 points in the second semi-final to get through to the grand final.
Their grand final opponent was Colbinabbin, which rebounded from its second semi-final defeat to beat the Cats by 25 points, 15.10 (100) to 11.9 (75), at Elmore.
That was the beginning of a premiership hat-trick for the Grasshoppers.
2002 was the Cats’ second season in the HDFL.
They had joined the HDFL in 2001 after a four-year stint in the Bendigo Football League, during which they won just 14 of 67 games.
However, one of those games was the 1997 elimination final when they were beaten by eventual runner-up Golden Square by 18 points.
Since the Cats’ entry into the HDFL they have been remarkably consistent, without claiming the ultimate prize.
With this the Cats’ 10th HDFL season, they have missed the finals just once – in 2007 – when they won only four games and finished eighth.
They have won 114 of 166 HDFL matches – a healthy winning percentage of 68.6 – but in recent years had made a habit of stumbling at the penultimate stage.
In 2005, 2006, 2008 and last year the Cats were beaten in the preliminary final, before they ended that hoodoo last week with a stirring 15-point win over Elmore to get through to tomorrow’s grand final against Heathcote.
The man who has been at the helm of the Cats this season is first-time coach Kahl Oliver, a premiership player in the Goulburn Valley Football League with Rochester in 2008.
“Kahl has been a sensational coach... I can’t speak highly enough of him,’’ said Sims, who was a part of four Echuca District Football League premiership teams during his playing days with Lockington.
“He’s a big lad and he’s a great footballer, but he also speaks well and has a good game plan; he just has the whole package.
“For a first-year coach, it has been sensational what he has been able to do.’’
Injuries have restricted Oliver to just 13 of 19 games this year. In those 13 games though, he has booted 63 goals, 21 of which have come in the Cats’ three finals.
Standing in the way of the Cats and their long-awaited premiership dream is the defending champion, Heathcote.
Heathcote will enter tomorrow as the overwhelming favourites, having gone through the season without losing a game.
Without doubt, one of the great stories if the Cats can win tomorrow would be that of Sam Newth.
Newth has been a loyal servant of the Cats, having played with the club during the struggles of their years in the BFL.
Not only is Newth one of the most respected players at the Cats, but also throughout the HDFL.
Tomorrow will be 32-year-old Newth’s 248th game for the Cats.
“I’m best mates with Sammy and I know exactly how much a win would mean to him,’’ Oliver said.
“I would say this would probably be his last game on Saturday, so the story has been just about all written. It only needs that last page, so we’ll be doing as much as we can to make sure we get over the line for him.’’
While clubs are largely judged on the success of their senior team, underneath the Cats have had a phenomenal under-17s side over the past four years.
The Cats’ under-17s have won the past three flags and will meet Huntly tomorrow in their quest for a fourth.
Huntly is the only team to have beaten the Cats this year when they won 9.7 (61) to 7.10 (52) on July 17.
That nine-point loss ended a remarkable 54-game winning streak that had begun on August 11, 2007.
“We’ve probably had six under-17 kids play senior footy this year, and they have all played well, so that’s encouraging for the future,’’ Sims said.
“We’ve been really lucky with the kids we’ve had come through over the past six or seven years, but it can’t last forever.
“It becomes very hard to keep those young players. Once they finish school and go to university or get employment, a lot of these kids will go off and we won’t see them again.
“So if you can hang on to a few of them then it’s all well and good.’’
While the Cats’ under-17s are gunning for four premierships in a row, the club’s reserves are vying for back-to-back flags against Heathcote after they beat Colbinabbin by two points in a thriller last year.
Following the three grand finals the Cats will return to their home base at Lockington tomorrow night, before holding their vote count on Sunday.
And Sims is quietly confident that come tomorrow night, the Cats will have cause for celebration.
“I reckon all three teams are a real chance, probably the under-17s more so than the others,’’ Sims said.
“But the way the reserves played last week (70-point win over Mount Pleasant) when they turned it on when they had to, and with the seniors, they have been in front of Heathcote at three quarter-time both times we have played them, so I’m sure we can match them.
“As they say – you’ve got to be in it to win it.’’
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