Going into the opening grand final of the decade, Eaglehawk had not beaten Kangaroo Flat in two previous attempts that season.

The Roos won 37-24 in round nine, and 36-29 in the 18th and final round before finals.

While their 2-0 form-line against the Hawks gave the Roos ample reason for confidence, it was also cause to be wary.

"They were definitely the underdogs, and we were the team who had finished on top, so really we had a lot, if not, almost all the pressure on us," McGlashan recalled.

"We always had it in the back of our minds that Eaglehawk had a really good line-up and a really good team unit.

"We knew it was going to be a tough game."

Any such fears the Roos held quickly morphed into reality as the Hawks, who were chasing their first flag since 1999, took the early ascendancy to lead a defence dominated contest 6-3 at quarter time.

Hopes of a high-scoring shootout evaporated when the Hawks added to their lead at half-time, albeit by a solitary goal, following a 6-5 quarter.

All but one of Eaglehawk's second quarter goals were scored by Christie Rogers (nee Carmody).

Instrumental in the semi-final victory over Sandhurst, which put the Roos into the grand final, goal attack Brooke Lawry (nee Emmerson) proved pivotal in a third quarter fightback, scoring seven goals in a 10-7 run, to pull Kangaroo Flat within one goal at the final change.

Led by goal shooter Sam Hommelhoff with six final quarter goals, the Roos finished the stronger and steadier of the two teams to seal a nail-biting 27-26 victory.

Asked for her memories on the game, winning Kangaroo Flat coach Bonnie Roberts believed it was the Roos' superior fitness and defensive strength which made the difference in the tightest of finishes.

"I kept telling the girls we were fitter than them and that if we relied on our fitness we would be right," she said.

"We knew we had the good rotations, good changes and better fitness and if we kept working at it, we would get there.

"It was a very good side we had - we definitely had the talent to win it.

"The defensive end was probably the best defence I'd seen in a long time.

"Alicia, Kirstie (Harvey) and Simone Andrews were probably the best three defenders rolling around at that stage and they worked so well together.

"Simone and Alicia together were so solid, it was no surprise seeing them feature in a few more grand finals together.

"Kirstie was such a hard worker, you knew you would always get everything out of her."

The premiership double was achieved under different coaches, with club legend Carol Bingham at the helm for the 2009 triumph and Roberts leading the charge in 2010.

For players on both sides, the dour defensive struggle and eventual one goal margin make the game an easy one to remember.

McGlashan, who went on to play in the Roos' 2014 and '16 premierships, giving her six A-grade flag wins in total, recalls the match as being "really physical and tough".

"It was really strong defensively - as the scores suggest the ball went up and back the court a lot," she said.

"They had Lauren Ryan (now Miller) and Kate Burton in defence, who were an extremely strong defensive combination.

"In their midcourt, Amanda O'Neill was at the top of her game then, she was very skilled and a very good mover.

"Looking back, it was just a very even game. They were definitely the underdogs after we'd beaten them both times during the season.

"That said, there was a lot of pressure on us to uphold those wins. We knew they were a good side and were a very good team unit.

"Most of all I just remember the game being very intense and highly-skilled and Christie Rogers getting best-on-court."

While she had no specific recollections of their battle on grand final day, McGlashan, on reflection, believed the contest between Harvey and Hawks wing attack O'Neill would have been a cracking one.

"I have a feeling that might have been Kirstie's first year up from A-reserve; she came up and played wing defence and was awesome," she said.

"Kirstie just didn't give her opponents an inch. Her and Amanda were both very smart players.

"I reckon we all went hard on the court, but off the court, there was a lot of respect for each other."

The decade's first premiership, following four during the previous decade, set the tone early for another successful period for the Roos.

Kangaroo Flat would go on to contest four more grand finals during the 2010s and claim two more flags (2014 and '16).

For Eaglehawk, just reaching the grand final was an achievement in itself.

A long road to the premiership decider started with an elimination final win over Golden Square, before the Hawks put paid to Gisborne's and Sandhurst's seasons to advance to the showdown against the Roos.

"We weren't expecting to be in the grand final and we were certainly the underdogs," said the Hawks star goal attack Rogers.

"Against Kangaroo Flat, you always knew it was going to be tough and physical and the low scoreline still stands out to this day.

"Defence was undoubtedly both teams' strength, so the eventual score was no real surprise.

"It was close all game, a real tussle; no one could get ahead by much all game.

"I just remember being really disappointed at the end of it.

"I am sure we were up by two (goals) very close to the end and it felt like we had that ascendancy. That last five minutes were really quite intense.

"As a shooter, I think you find (the loss) really hard to take when it's by one goal."

"(That result) has always stayed close to me and I have always used it as motivation to try and play well in grand finals."

With the benefit of hindsight, Rogers was certain the experience of 2010 had played some part in helping the Hawks to eventually break their premiership drought two seasons later in another one-goal thriller against Sandhurst, albeit with an altered line-up.

The Hawks' grand final line-up featured two players, who would go on to play in grand finals at other BFNL clubs.

They were goal shooter Bec Smith, who stamped herself as a triple premiership player with Sandhurst (2017-19), and Kate Burton, who played for Strathfieldsaye against Golden Square in 2015.

In a twist of irony, Burton and McGlashan ended the decade as team-mates at Dower Park and, if not for an ankle injury to Burton, would have played alongside each other in the 2019 grand final against Sandhurst.

Five players - Rogers, O'Neill, Mulcahy, Gretgrix and Miller, who finished third in the league's best and fairest count in 2010 behind Maryborough's Alisha Chadwick - were starters in the Hawks' 2012 flag win.

* If and when the 2020 netball season begins, Alicia McGlashan will again line up for Kangaroo Flat

* Christie Rogers is the reigning Loddon Valley league best and fairest and is coaching Calivil United for a second-straight season.

* Bonnie Roberts coached the Roos for one more season and will this season coach the club's 15-and-under development team.

Kangaroo Flat: Simone Andrews (GK), Alicia McGlashan (GD), Kirstie Harvey (WD), Lauren Cowling (C), Sharni Symes (WA), Brooke Emmerson (GA), Sam Hommelhoff (GS), Sarah Fern, Ally Swift.

Eaglehawk: Kate Burton (GK), Lauren Ryan (GD), Hannah Gretgrix (WD), Carmel Mulcahy (C), Amanda O'Neill (WA), Christie Carmody (GA), Bec Smith (GS), Christine Pell, Olivia Thomas.

UP NEXT: Golden Square storms home to claim 2011 premiership.

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