It’s what you play for, it’s what you dream about. It’s what the gut busting preseason sessions and the freezing midseason trainings are all for. A premiership, a flag, the cup, the big dance, it’s a culmination of years of hard work. It all comes down to 2 hours of footy in the biggest match of the year, the TAC Cup Grand Final.
In January the senior playing group were climbing mountains around Hotham in a five day camp that set the tone for the season. At the same time the coaching group were plotting how they were going to overcome their own mountain. How do you pick a list of 42 kids from across a region that’s bigger than some European countries? And then how do you get them to gel well enough to play a brand of football that will win a flag in the best under 18 competition in the country.
That Gippsland Power has been so successful in the TAC Cup program given the obstacles it faces is a credit to all involved in the program. That this particular playing group has become so tight knit and believe in themselves is down to qualities of Coach Nick Stevens. If you chat to the boys the respect and love that they have for their coach is clearly evident. If he asked them to run through a brick wall they would, no questions asked. They believe in the game plan, they believe in the processes, they believe in Nick, all because he has the same belief in them. There is something special about this group. Sure there are some very talented individuals, but it’s the team first mentality that has made them such a formidable opponent. Each and every player would do anything for their team mate, they are brothers in arms and they stand as one.
Stevens motivational speeches are fast becoming legendary. Taking inspiration from a documentary on Mike Tyson he said to the boys, “You boys came to me at the start of the season with a spark, you wanted to play TAC Cup footy. I fed that spark through the preseason and it became a flame. Throughout the season we built the momentum and that flame became a fire. When we reached the finals that flame became a roaring blaze inside us”. Both Dandenong and Sandringham got burnt by that blaze in two of the most amazing games of finals football in club history.
Many of the Power players are in career best form, they were challenged at the start of the year to trek through the mountains at Hotham, and since then the challenges haven’t stopped. Whether it’s to be fitter, harder at the contest, more accountable defensively or set the example for the younger players, it’s all about being the best that they can be. That’s the real reason behind the success of this playing group. Sure each and every player has become a well rounded footballer, but more importantly a well rounded young man with a belief that they can achieve anything they put their mind to.
For the selected 22, it’s been a big week. The emotional high after winning a thrilling preliminary final and the physical low of realising how sore your body is after a season of bruising encounters. As the boys have sat in class or gone to work this week, their minds have drifted to all things football and the big stage at Etihad stadium. Their coach constantly tells them that it’s good to be nervous because it shows that they care. This week it’s been hard for them to care about anything else.
There have been more games in the rain, wind and mud then there has been sunshine this year. But come 10.30am Sunday that doesn’t matter as the roof at Etihad stadium will be closed, the conditions will be perfect. Whatever transpires over those next two hours is at the hands of the 22 players out on the field. They have the ability, they have the game plan, they have the desire, and they have all of Gippsland behind them. Its time for that roaring blaze to be unleashed on Etihad.
GO POWER
Last Modified on 24/04/2013 11:07
