BALWYN – DIVISION 1 PREMIERS
Home & Away: 13 Wins 4 Losses 1 Draw 1958/1203 162.76
Finals: 3 Wins, 1 Loss
Coach: Dan Donati
Best and Fairest: Kris Pendlebury
No writer could have scripted Season 2016 better for the Balwyn Football Club. Celebrating a centenary and farewelling a legendary Coach, there was no better way to end the season.
ARTICLE – BALWYN 2016 PREMIERS
Balwyn capped of the year with their fourth Premiership in five seasons writing themselves into history once more. Since joining the competition in 2007 the Tigers have played finals in every season (continuing a finals run in the SFL spanning back to 1996).
2016 will now go down in Balwyn history as the fifth Eastern Football League Premiership, coached by a man whose coaching record with the Tigers is second to none.
Coaching more than 100 games, Donati took the Tigers to five consecutive Grand Finals for four Premierships. He was named Coach of the decade and of the Century during his tenure.
The Tigers primed themselves for an assault mid-way through the season, recording three consecutive 100+ point wins between rounds 11 and 13 prior to match-ups with the top 5 sides on the run to September.
Balwyn was unable to find wins against Noble Park in Round 16 and Rowville in the final game of the year going down in both games away from home, however as good sides do the Tigers bounced back in Week 1 to clinch a tight finals win over Rowville.
ARTICLE – PASK TO LEAD REIGNING PREMIERS
Many EFL pundits saw the writing on the wall following the Tigers narrow loss to Vermont. Balwyn faced in-form Noble Park who gave them a real scare in the Preliminary Final only to be outplayed in the final term – Balwyn kicked six goals to one in the final term to cement position in their fifth straight Grand Final.
As they say the rest is history, check out the highlights from the 2016 Division 1 Grand Final below;
MONDAY – Bayswater Football Club
