RANK underdog Bendigo stunned arch-rival Ballarat in their inter-league clash at Bacchus Marsh’s Maddingley Park on Saturday.
With Ballarat entering the match raging hot favourites, Bendigo’s gameplan, built around speed, reaped dividends as the Blue and Golds led at every change on the way to a 21-point victory, 21.12 (138) to 16.21 (117) in a high-scoring, entertaining game.
The young Bendigo side, with 16 first-time inter-league players, was never headed after the 27-minute mark of the first quarter as it beat Ballarat for the first time since 2000.
Among those in the Bendigo side was league chief executive officer Steven Oliver, who was the replacement for late withdrawal Justin Maddern.
Oliver had three kicks for three goals.
Not only did Bendigo win the senior football, it also prevailed in the under-18s, as well as open netball on what was a memorable day for the league.
Victorious senior coach Jeff Brennan described Saturday’s victory as sweeter than his premiership wins as coach of Red Cliffs in 2000 and Swan Hill in 2005.
“To me, reflecting on the game, it’s a massive win because it was a huge effort from all 24 blokes for the two hours,’’ Brennan said.
“When you’re talking about a grand final you have two teams that are evenly matched, but going into this game, there was a perceived undisputed difference in line-ups.
“For us to go in with the inexperienced side we had compared to them, to win that game from start to finish, and have a group that stayed on track for what we wanted to do for the entire game, that’s what made it such a memorable victory.’’
Brennan believes following Saturday’s win, the landscape of inter-league selection has now changed.
“It has to change now, we’ve proven that on Saturday,’’ said Brennan, who was assisted by Derrick Filo and Shawn McCormick.
“Over the past three or four years, or maybe even longer, you’re almost forced to play your best players in the competition because of who they are, but putting them on the big stage, they invariably fail because it’s such a big step up.
“This year, from the way the campaign panned out, we were able to pick players that we wanted to play a specific way.
“Having watched some games of Ballarat footy in recent weeks, I knew what we needed to go down there and win the game.
“These kids now, as years go by, certainly hold the league in their hands as far as competing at inter-league level goes.
“We took a group that we believed was not only capable of winning the game, but it was a group we believe we can work with for years to come, and that is a major positive for the league moving forward.’’
Meanwhile, Maryborough coach Shane Fisher, who tipped Ballarat by eight goals in Saturday’s Advertiser, praised Bendigo for its win.
“It was a fantastic win by Bendigo, especially with so many young kids in the side,’’ said Fisher, who has also coached in the Ballarat Football League.
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