By KEVIN HILLIER - Division 1 Seniors
SPORT is filled with fairy tale stories of unlikely victories and that is part of the reason we love it.
The unpredictability, the human element, the chance- be it ever so slim, that an underdog can rise above form, talent and circumstances to triumph, and experience the sweetest of victories.
That is the scenario facing the Hoppers Crossing Football Club today at Whitten Oval in the Division 1 Grand Final.
In boxing parlance, Deer Park is the heavyweight champion of the competition, licking its lips ready to devour the hapless challengers.
Hoppers Crossing is the rank outsider, battered and bruised from its most recent encounters, and even Rocky Balboa would go in favourite against them.
Can the Warriors live up to their nickname and conjure an unlikely victory?
Sports history tells you they can. How did Steven Bradbury win an Olympic Gold Medal in 2002? The 1980 USA Men’s hockey team won gold in the game dubbed’ The Miracle on Ice’. Kieren Perkins win in the 1500 metres at the Atlanta Olympics and the 1983 America’s Cup win by John Bertrand and Australia II all fall into the fairy tale category.
I could name more, but I could also name another 100 where there was not a ‘and they all lived happily ever after’ ending.
Those who have been around Deer Park for a few years, will well remember their own fairy tale finish in 2009 against Parkside.
They were given no chance to beat the might of Parkside, but they did. It is a memory worth revisiting for the current crop of Lions, and I am sure Luke Summers who was part of that team, will mention it. I actually tipped them to win that day in this publication.
Can Hoppers Crossing replicate that feat in 2016? Facts, statistics and form will overwhelmingly tell you they can’t.
Sports romantics, and I am one, will tell you they can.
They will have to be bold, unrelenting and adventurous. They will have to take chances, back themselves and hold their nerve. Most importantly, they have to believe they are not here today to make up the numbers. They are here to win.
An attitude less than that from any of the Warriors will defeat them before they enter the arena of battle.
Deer Park is a very good team and deserve to be favourites.
They ooze talent and class and are very well coached.
They have the chance to write themselves into the history of the WRFL and secure a place envied by all who have preceded them.
The 2009 premiership is a long time ago now, and the club has changed a lot on and off the field.
The team behind the team on the field has done a remarkable job in securing the financial stability of the club.
Deer Park is a powerhouse on the field and off, and on Sunday they will take that to a new level, adding yet another cup and flag (maybe more depending on the early games) to the bulging trophy cabinet at John McLeod Reserve.
Last Modified on 06/09/2016 13:57