The Crocodiles took on De La Salle in the Club XVIII Section 1 Grand Final last Sunday and unfortunately were unable to successfully kick off the 2011 OXFC Finals Campaign going down by 5 points in a thrilling clash. The conditions were perfect at Elsternwick Park and the large crowd were treated to a fantastic standard of football, played in great spirits by both teams.

The Crocs came into the game as favourites, having met DLS three times in the regular season for a 2-1 record (50pt and 80pt victories – 9 pt loss), however DLS were in outstanding form at the business end of the year and came into the game full of confidence after a 30 point demolition job on OM’s in the preliminary final.

The Crocs began slowly in the first quarter and it was De La who came out of the blocks having the first forays into their forward 50, however errant kicking and pressure from the Crocs backs held them in good stead. The Diles finally kicked into gear with Dan Tehan and Tommy Byrne working well in the midfield, while Nick Silk and Will Martin were providing plenty of drive from defence. The Crocs clawed back two goals to hold a slender 2 point lead at the first change.  

The second quarter began as the first had ended, with the Crocs beginning to gain ascendency around the ground and continuing to rebound well from defence. A clash of heads ended ruckman and vice-captain Duncan Parry’s day and the Diles had to regroup after DLS again challenged late in the quarter. The lead got out to 20 points after long-range goals from Green and Swanton and it appeared as though the Crocs would maintain control. DLS were held goal less for the second quarter, however as has been the case in the past, they have shown they are a team capable of scoring quickly and this was no more evident that in the third quarter.    

DLS came out in the second half full of running and had their second goal of the day on the board from the first bounce. The Crocs responded immediately and from here both teams traded goal for goal, however after back-to-back Crocs goals were then out to a 26 point lead with 10 minutes to run in the quarter. What then transpired will go down in Club XVIII history. Within a seven minute period DLS were able to slam on five unanswered goals, four of which came from a direct centre clearances. The Crocs were shell-shocked and their worst fears were beginning to be realised. DLS had turned a 26 point deficit into a 5 point lead as the teams turned the corner for home.  

The last quarter was as tight and tense a contest as Elsternwick has seen and many spectators commented on the high standard of football on show. Both teams had their chances and as the lead see-sawed, the clock continued to run down. With players out on their feet in the hot conditions, the team that was able to take their chances would prevail and unfortunately for us it was not meant to be as DLS were able to absorb immense pressure with the ball locked in the Crocs forward 50 for much of the final minutes, a last effort clearance from the back half saw DLS run down the clock and record a famous victory to get their hands on their second Club XVIII cup. For the Crocs, Dan Tehan played his heart out and was rewarded with the King-Landrigan Medal for Best on Ground, a fitting end to an outstanding finals campaign by Dan that saw him record two best on grounds in both the second-semi and GF.

For our boys, the hurt of this loss stings deep and it was a solemn few days together spent in deep reflection in the bottom of many pots glasses. Just writing this report has been a struggle and I firmly believe that the lessons learnt from the loss will spur the boys onto redemption in 2012. Our congratulations to Tommy Koravik and the boys from DLS, a hell of a season for them and we look forward to renewing hostilities next year.

To the members of the OXFC Committee, in particular Tony Hulett, Peter McDonnell, Simon Hunt and Michael Hardman, your support this season has been greatly appreciated by all involved in the Crocodiles. We are all so proud to represent this great club and although we didn’t get the result that we had all worked so hard for, we look forward to getting the chance to do it all again and will be down supporting the remaining six teams during the 2011 finals campaign.

From a personal perspective, it has been an absolute honour to coach the Crocodiles and I have learnt many valuable lessons from my time with this fantastic group of men. I look forward to the challenges ahead and pulling on the green socks for a few more seasons to come.