HOW things have turned around for Sandhurst in the space of two years.
Two years ago Sandhurst travelled to Canterbury Park to play Eaglehawk in the final round of the Bendigo Football League season.
Such had been the struggles of the Dragons in 2008, they went to Canterbury Park in the last round staring at the prospect of claiming what could have been the club’s first wooden spoon in its long history.
The Dragons were beaten by 157 points that day – their ninth loss by more than 100 points in 16 games that season – but their score of 5.9 (39) was enough to keep them away from the bottom of the ladder... just.
Both Sandhurst and Kyneton ended 2008 with just one apiece, but the Dragons had a slightly superior percentage of 31.8 compared to the Tigers’ 31.2.
However, from being just 0.6 per cent away from the wooden spoon in 2008, two years later the Dragons are back in the finals.
Tomorrow the Dragons meet Maryborough in the elimination final at the Queen Elizabeth Oval.
The coach of the Dragons will be Keiran Nihill, whose first season at the helm of Sandhurst was in 2008 when he stepped in after the club had suffered a mass exodus of players during the off-season.
For Nihill’s first game as coach of the Dragons in 2008 – a 123-point loss to Golden Square at the QEO – just six players had been part of Sandhurst’s last game of 2007.
For Nihill, it was a case of the Dragons starting from scratch and rebuilding with youth.
“I remember that last round out at Eaglehawk that year when we had to put all our good players forward to try to kick another goal because that was the story coming off the bench... we needed to kick another goal to avoid the wooden spoon,’’ Nihill said yesterday.
“I remember handballing it to Lachie Pinner for him to kick a goal and saying to him, ‘that will be the most important goal you will kick’.
“That’s how close it got to us getting the wooden spoon, so basically, two years later to be back playing finals is something we’re proud about.
“When I look through the side, there are 12 blokes who played in that game at Eaglehawk a couple of years ago who are still playing now.
“So we haven’t gone and up-ended our list and redesigned our footy club.
“We’ve managed to do it from within and that’s a credit to the players.’’
From just one win in 2008, the Dragons won nine last year to finish sixth, before improving that to 10 this season and a home and away finish of fourth on the ladder.
“We’ve finished fourth, but if we lose on Sunday then that effectively becomes fifth, so we’d like to think we’re not done yet,’’ said Nihill, who will stand down as coach at the end of the Dragons’ finals campaign.
“We’ll be going out there on Sunday against a side that has always been reasonably similar to Sandhurst in that it has great young kids and some experienced, loyal servants there as well.
“We’ve got a lot of respect for Maryborough, so I don’t think there’s going to be a whole lot in it come the final siren.’’
While the Dragons and Magpies will have to do it the hard way from the elimination final, Kangaroo Flat last year got from the same position to two weeks later leading a preliminary final at half-time.
And the year before in 2008 Golden Square finished just six points away from a premiership, having come through the elimination final.
“I suppose that’s the dream, to get on a bit of a roll and momentum in finals is the key to it,’’ Nihill said.
“We’re aware our form hasn’t been outstanding over the past month, but if you can get on a roll from here that’s quickly forgotten.
“A lot of people have said to me, ‘you haven’t been able to beat any of the top three sides yet’.
“But no one will care about that if we can beat one of them in a final.
“So that’s our aim... we’re really excited about trying to win some finals.’’
Sandhurst will be without midfielder Blair Holmes.
Holmes was named in the centre for the Dragons on Thursday night, but he will play for the Bendigo Bombers tomorrow.
Sandhurst has a phenomenal record for playing in finals.
Since 1970 the Dragons have been a part of all but nine finals series, missing out in only 1971, 1987, 1988, 1992, 1997, 2000, 2005, 2008 and last year.
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