It was a supreme performance from a side that has clicked into gear at the right time.
With spits and spurts of rain and bitterly cold winds sweeping across Holm Park in Beaconsfield on Saturday, it was as if Berwick played on a dry day with not a breath of wind to speak of.
The Wickers advanced through to yet another grand final after overcoming a quality Narre Warren outfit, and they are now just one win away from successfully defending their premiership crown. It’s a testament to their ability to rise to another level at the exact moment they are required.
While the weather may have been stiflingly cold, there was no shortage of heat out in the middle as the two sides did battle for a place in the decider on 15 September.
Both sides had their fair share of niggle early and the game seemed destined for a stoppage to stoppage slog, but Stewart Kemperman’s side got the early ascendency when a suffocating bit of pressure brought about the first major.
While big man Trent Shinners responded after converting his 50 metre penalty, the Wickers made the most of their chances and owned the opening term, with Trent Thomas and Harrison Money – opposed to young star Ryan Quirk – kicking late goals to help their side surge out to a 13-point quarter time advantage.
While the scoreboard was at a disadvantage, the Magpies looked fluent when freeing the ball from the congestion, with the likes of Brad Scalzo, Dylan Quirk, Jesse Davies and Michael Collins all picking up their fair share of footy, but the contested battle was in control of the Wickers, who were supreme in the middle and got plenty of footy out to the runners.
The Magpies seemed to heed the advice of coach Matt Shinners – who urged them to run and work harder – at the quarter time break, with Aaron Wilson slotting a cracker from the pocket to give them a perfect start to the second term.
After squandering some chances going forward, the Wickers’ control once again seeped in, with Travis Tuck helping get the game back on terms with a blistering 15 minute period that included an extraordinary dash off half back in heavy traffic.
Tuck – as he did in the first final against Cranbourne – impacted the contest with a sublime second term, picking up a stack of the footy in the middle and using the ball with accuracy on his left foot.
Both sides continued to pressure the ball carrier, and after Hayden Stagg booted a team lifting goal, the dynamic Tim Gunn finished off the scoring in the half by nailing a major and giving his side a 14-point half time lead.
But it was the third quarter that was breathtaking. They continued to run in waves and eventually broke the game apart with a devastating ten-minute period, slamming on four unanswered goals to bring the margin out to 38-points.
Absolutely stunning the vocal Magpie crowd, the Wickers flexed their muscles, moving the ball with an incredible precision, with the likes of Bailey Asher, gun defenders Michael Riseley and Jo West, as well as Tuck, James Magner and Bryce Rutherford all having an enormous influence in particular.
As anticipated, the Magpies fought back, and they fought back hard, with Nick Scanlon slotting two majors in quick succession, but Jed Smith put in a dagger, kicking a late third quarter goal that meant it was a bridge too far.
The Magpies ran out the game and could head their head high that they had the better of the final quarter to bring the margin back to 12 at the final siren after a Mitch Cox barrel sailed through after the siren, but the ability for the Wickers to professionally ice the clock and weather the storm was impressive.
They now advance through to yet another grand final, something not lost on coach Stewart Kemperman.
“I’m rapt for the boys – as a coach, we sort of want them to realise their potential. It’s an ugly word, we haven’t done anything yet, but we’ve given ourselves an opportunity to realise it,” he told the Gazette in the aftermath of the game.
“I’m incredibly proud of them, and thrilled that they get the opportunity.”
While Kemperman understands the expectation that will come – similar to the position they were in at the same time last year – he believes his side will handle the heat of being the hunted once again.
“Expectation is something you can’t control, and it’s something you have to embrace, you can’t shy away from it,” he said.
“We’ll go in certainly embracing whatever expectation comes our way, but internally we know to just dive into our roles and bring the brand of footy that we have the last few weeks.”
With stars Madi Andrews and Luke Sheppard sitting out of Saturday’s clash, Kemperman was thrilled with how his side stuck to the structures and never relented in their intensity.
“There is still areas I think we can tighten up which is good, and we’ve always said we’ll back our system over our personnel, so our job as coaches is to give players as much clarity as we can about their roles and what it looks like in different parts of the game,” he said.
“That’s a credit to my coaching group, and how much they work with guys and how much feedback they give them too.”
Only conceding 67 points against a side that has scored 300 more points than the next best in the competition is a major tick for Kemperman’s side, who remained vigilant of the Magpies’ firepower but wanted to ensure his side still played to their own strengths.
“We understand and acknowledge that they have some really good players – you need to put time into them. The likes of (Brad) Scalzo, the Scanlon boys, (Michael) Collins, (Aaron) Wilson now that he’s back from Frankston are all good players. (Mitch) Cox is a good player too, and the Quirk’s, (Trent) Cody, and (Colin) McNamara,” he said.
“They’re all great players, and you have to be aware of who they are and try and negate them, but on the flipside, if you spend too much time focusing on them, you go away from what’s got you there in the first place, so it’s a bit of a balancing act.
“Scalzo did really get them going, so we might need to put a little bit more time on him next time.”
But their own star studded midfield was once again led by Travis Tuck, who put in another commanding effort and has been the dominant player of the finals series so far.
“He’s been terrific, Tucky. He’s a great player that just adds so much to our midfield. Similar to our season, he’s built his form with our season,” Kemperman said.
“He’s playing some really good footy – I thought he was terrific.”
Berwick will play either Narre Warren, Beaconsfield or Cranbourne in the decider on 15 September, and Kemperman said that star midfielder Madi Andrews is likely to return.
