KOROIT called on its reputation as a side which never surrenders in rallying from five goals down to win its third straight Hampden league flag on Saturday.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The unshakable Saints’ 14.16 (100) to 10.7 (67) triumph against North Warrnambool Eagles ensured esteemed mentor Adam Dowie bowed out on a positive note.
Dowie further entrenched himself in Hampden league folklore, ending his career with six premierships to his credit.
The mastermind mentor had to find a way to lift his charges after the Eagles made an emphatic start.
His final half-time speech focused on the sidelined Saints – loyal trio Ben Walsh, Daniel Harrington and Thomas Mugavin missed out on a grand final spot.
The Eagles booted seven of their 10 goals in the first term and the first of the second, courtesy of live-wire Jarryd Lewis, to race to a 35-point lead.
Koroit slowly turned the momentum its way nearing the main break but it was four unanswered goals against the wind in the third term and a sublime performance from AFL draft hopeful Willem Drew which changed the dynamic of the game.
“At half-time it was about the guys that had gone out of the side, it was about them and how our blokes had an obligation to those guys to give everything they could,” Dowie said.
“We thought we were playing really badly and everything was going wrong (in the first half) and we were only 20 points down.
“I can say like but the players are the ones who went out and made it happen. To produce a second half like that was pretty incredible. But from those players I am not really surprised.”
North Warrnambool Eagles kicked four of the first six goals. Koroit teenager Jarrod Korewha – a key defender at TAC Cup level – showed his versatility to keep the Saints in the hunt.
The Eagles took a 30-point lead into the first change but the attacking dare they showed early soon evaporated as the Saints started to win the midfield battle.
Koroit trimmed the margin to 20 points at the main break and took hold of the contest in the third to five points up at the final change.
Dowie praised the likes of Tim Carter, who shutdown Lewis, and midfielders Taylor Mulraney and Levi Nagorcka for their influence in the second half.