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STRATHFIELDSAYE coach Troy Coates says just like Eaglehawk did this year, the Storm will use the disappointment of Saturday’s losing grand final as a driving force for their 2019 BFNL campaign.
The Storm were denied back-to-back premierships by the team they had beaten in the grand final a year earlier as they suffered a 49-point loss to the Hawks at the QEO.
“We weren’t good enough today and Eaglehawk was the better side, it’s as simple as that,” Coates said.
“But as a coach I couldn’t have asked any more of the boys throughout the season and today as well.
“We’ve got a really exciting young list with a lot of players in their early to mid-20s.
“From today’s side we’ve already got 16 or 17 signed up for next year, so we’re definitely not going away.
“You can’t buy that hunger that Eaglehawk had today… and that’s what we’ll have next year.
“We’ll go out and target a couple of guys who we think we need to top up with and just keep bringing our kids through.
“One of the things we’re really proud of at Strathfieldsaye is how many of these boys today played junior football with the club and we’ll keep sticking with that.”
Strathfieldsaye’s grand final side contained 16 one-point players.
The Storm were one player down from midway through the second quarter after key forward Bryce Curnow’s game ended with what may be a cracked bone in his heel he suffered just four minutes into the match.
The Storm were also forced to confine key onballer Sam Heavyside to a forward role after he suffered a medial injury during the second quarter.
Despite the injury, Heavyside battled on bravely and kicked three goals to be one of Strathfieldsaye’s best.
“That was disappointing for Bryce hurting himself in the first quarter and Sam tore his medial at the start of the second quarter, so he was basically playing on one leg,” said Coates, who kicked the Storm’s first goal of the match.
“Full credit to our boys, every time Eaglehawk started to get a run-on we responded, but in that last quarter they got away from us late.”
The Storm spent the bulk of the game trailing after Eaglehawk was on fire early, booting the first four goals.
The only time Strathfieldsaye led was by one point for four minutes late in the second quarter.
The Storm, who ended the home and away season a game clear on top of the ladder, finished the year 17-4, with three of their four defeats having been to Eaglehawk.
Saturday was the first season since 2013 in which Strathfieldsaye hasn’t won at least one of the three football flags on offer.
As well as the seniors getting beaten, the Storm’s reserves were also defeated as they went down to Sandhurst by 32 points, while their under-18s – who had won the previous three flags – were narrowly beaten in the preliminary final last week.
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