VERMONT – DIVISION 1 RUNNERS-UP
Home & Away: 15 Wins 2 Losses and 1 Draw 1817/1048 173.38
Finals: 1 Win, 1 Loss
Coach: Steve Cochrane
Best and Fairest: Tom Schneider
So close, yet so far…
The form side of the competition for much of the year there was no surprise when the Eagles headed into the 2016 finals as the team to beat.
Much has been discussed over the past two seasons about the revamped line-up that that Eagles have introduced following an exodus of experience. The Eagles have created a squad of players who in their own right have the potential to replace the Henley, Bardon and Mullett names of years gone by, maybe even another Vermont dynasty….
SINGH TO LEAD EAGLES 2017 TILT
The Eagles entered the 2016 Division 1 Grand Final with only one premiership player in their midst – the skipper Tim Johnson. A genuine changing of the guard has taken place and still the Eagles find themselves as true contenders and potentially favourites heading into 2017.
The first four rounds of the Season gave Vermont a chance to stamp their authority on the competition, a 20-point win at home to Norwood in Round 1 followed by two big victories against Blackburn and East Ringwood.
The Eagles found themselves splitting the points in Round 4 when they booted five final term goals to almost get over the line against Balwyn at home.
EAGLES v TIGERS | The Final five minutes
Making Terrara Road a fortress the Eagles didn’t loss a game at home, only sharing the points with Balwyn. Away from home was a different story, and whilst Vermont were able to get themselves out of some tight situations there were a number of games that hung in the balance on the run home.
In the back half of the season Vermont’s away form vs. top half sides;
Round 10 – 3-point win v Noble Park (after leading by 20 points at ¾ time)
Round 12 – 16-point loss to Norwood at Mullum Reserve
Round 13 – 1-point win over Rowville (After trialling by 12 points with 2 minutes to play)
Round 16 – 7-point win over Doncaster (After leading by 23 points at ¾ time)
Round 17 – 38-point loss to Balwyn (After conceding 11 goals in the first term)
Perhaps younger legs lost their run in the back half of the season?
All in all, the Eagles still managed to claim three wins, albeit in some extraordinary circumstances in some cases. Whilst the side is young, and running out a full four quarters may be something to be worked on into 2017, the group has managed to pull some true Houdini type wins out of the bag showing a level of belief that is dangerous for the other sides in Division 1.
ROWVILLE v VERMONT | The final five minutes
Outside of momentary lapses in concentration during the Grand Final Vermont showed again a true grit and determination. Balwyn got off to a flying start leaving Vermont to chase tail being four goals behind in the first 10 minutes. The Eagles struck again in the third term and reduced the margin back to three kicks before Balwyn rallied once again pushing the league out to 34-points at the final change.
2016 Division 1 Senior Grand Final
The Eagles showed fight to go down by 12-points, and there is no doubt Vermont will be there again. Vermont isn’t a club that can be kept down for too long and given their last Senior success came in 2009 expect a steely resolve in 2017!
