Eagles land flag

By Brad Kingsbury
BEACONSFIELD under18s completed an emotional grandfinal victory over Doveton with an alltheway, 36point win in windy conditions at Berwick on Saturday.
After the game triumphant coach Rik Crook paid tribute to talented Eagle Sam Benbow who missed the game after recent surgery to remove a tumour from his brain.
“He played all year and then was forced to give up footy and have the operation. That really spurred the boys on,” he said.
“It was a special win.”
Benbow was present and joined his teammates in celebrating a magnificent season that saw them crowned premiers and champions of 2006.
The curtainraiser to a massive day of football in front of a record crowd was a highclass and open game in which the Eagles dominated at the stoppages and retained first use of the ball for most of the match.
Despite kicking with the breeze in the opening term, the Doves conceded a threegoal lead and were unable to recover the lost ground.
The margin was 45 points at halftime and despite being outscored after the main break, the Eagles proved the better side, defending their lead and making the most of their opportunities with superb accuracy (16.4) in the difficult conditions.
Beaconsfield forward Paul VanLambaart booted four goals with support from Mitchell Collins and Joel Gibson who snared three each, while Denne Lalouette was in brilliant form throughout the match and was awarded the MPNFL medal for best afield.
Crook, who announced an end to his twoyear tenure at the helm after the game, said the lead up had been perfect and his team too good on the day.
“There was a degree of confidence,” he said.
“We just wanted the boys to put it all together and they did that today. They worked hard for each other and that’s what’s required to win a grand final.
“The guys really trained hard last week and they got the reward for it.”
Crook gave an ominous warning to rivals when he said that only a handful of the premiership group would be out of under18s next season, however he expected several to play at TAC Cup level in 2007.
The Doves were well served by Brad Virgona, James Pattinson, Daniel Bianco and Josh Viney, while league leading goalkicker Daniel Zajac added two goals to take his 2006 tally to 63.
Coach Mark Ladgrove, who guided the supertalented Doveton under18s to the past two premierships, went within an ace of a treble, but conceded that the Eagles were a class act.
“We knew we had to get a good start with the wind and just didn’t. They played well and the rub of the green didn’t go our way, but the boys fought it out and remained disciplined and although they didn’t win the game, they lost no respect,” he said.
“We’ve got four kids who are only 16, so they will be better again next year and the group that has continued to come through has been fantastic for the club as a whole.”
Ladgrove said he was not sure if he would step up again in 2007 and would make up his mind in the next few weeks.