Six years is a long time in football but four dedicated South Rovers stars will finally get their taste of Warrnambool and District league finals football against Timboon Demons on Sunday.
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Lions’ skipper Braden Hotker, Luke Payne, Jake Bacon and Tom Bowman were all recruited to the club by former coach Brendan Whelan and have since stuck around to become pivotal players in Adam Matheson’s drought-breaking finals side.
“They have been loyal to the club for a while and it’s fantastic to see them playing their first final this weekend,” Matheson said.
“They joined the club as 22 and 23 year olds and credit to them for sticking around at the club and this weekend is their reward.”
Hotker (84 games), Payne (78), Bacon (61) and Bowman (60) will bring 283 games of Warrnambool and District league senior experience to the table on Sunday.
In their time at the club the Lions have fallen agonisingly short of finals, finishing sixth twice (2013, 2017), and seventh twice (2015-16) and eighth once (2014).
All four have been named in Sunday’s team to face the Demons at Mack Oval.
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Sean Hardeman
I'm a sports journalist for the Warrnambool Standard who covers a number of different sports across the south-west of Victoria. I enjoy watching cycling, surfing, football, soccer and Formula 1.
I'm a sports journalist for the Warrnambool Standard who covers a number of different sports across the south-west of Victoria. I enjoy watching cycling, surfing, football, soccer and Formula 1.
