THE 2020 Warrnambool and District league grand final was pencilled in for this weekend. But with the coronavirus pandemic wiping out the entire season, The Standard has decided to take a walk down memory lane. Adam Matheson reflects on Timboon Demons first and only WDFNL senior football premiership.
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"The first goal of the day by wingman David Tatton.
"He just intercepted the ball through the midfield took the space in front of him and kicked it from 45 metres out.
"It was a really good goal."
Adam Matheson has vivid memories of his first and only premiership as a coach.
The South Rovers mentor was the Timboon Demons leader in 2008 when they broke through for their maiden WDFNL flag.
The Dees secured a thrilling 18.12 (120) to 17.9 (111) victory against Kolora-Noorat at Reid Oval.
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It's was his fourth year in charge of the red and blue and he already knew of the pain of defeat on grand final day. The side sacrificed a six-goal lead against the Lions and fell by one major in 2007. "There was a bit of unfinished business for the playing group there in 2008," Matheson said.
He said the team made a conscious decision not to dwell on the 2007 defeat.
"It was never openly discussed and we were careful not to," he said. "We had four or five new players at the club and we didn't want to them to feel that was all we were doing it for."
He is nonetheless sure some players were extra motivated by the 2007 loss.
"The feeling after a (grand final) loss and the feeling after winning are poles apart," he said.
It was a funny build up to the game for Matheson.
He was to coach against his cousin Daniel Beard and The Standard gathered them for a photo in the days prior to the match.
"It was funny having the pre-game photos taken because one of was of us was going to win and one of us wasn't," he said.
Matheson said the grand final "was a bit hard for the family".
The former Demons coach had high regard for his cousin's playing ability: "He was one of those power forwards we just had to watch".
Matheson said September 6 was a beautiful day with a slight breeze.
He said the Power kicked with the wind in the opening stanza and had a 19-point lead at quarter-time.
"After that we started to get our flowing game going, our attacking brand," he said.
The Demons were eight points up at half-time but Matheson reflected "you never got to a comfortable spot in the game".
It was a high-scoring see-sawing encounter in which the lead changed nine times. Matheson described it as a tough match as well with players taking heavy knocks.
The Dees leader said his side shone in what is renowned as the 'premiership quarter'.
Matheson said Darcy Cashmore had a huge third term with 11 touches.
And that Jeff Rosolin, a junior at the time, snagged a couple of important goals.
He also recalls Daniel Hanegraaf getting three or four clearances. The Dees had a three-point advantage going into the final huddle.
The Power hit the lead with the first major of the final quarter but the Dees steadied the ship and were nine-point winners.
Matheson said rover Andy Rylance "kicked some freakish goals" on his way to winning the VCFL Medal.
He said Scotty Stewart Memorial Award-winner Nick Thompson was a workhorse with more than 30 possessions and crucial one-percenters.
It was the merged club's first flag in its new league. Matheson described it as special that 17 of the 21 players were from either Timboon Saints, Heytesbury Demons or Timboon Demons origins.
The Saints and Heytesbury Demons had merged in 2002.
"It was a proud moment for the Timboon community that they had home-grown talent," he said.
Matheson was relieved. It was his first premiership cup as a senior coach and he hadn't tasted the ultimate success for almost 20 years.
He had won his first and only senior premiership playing for Simpson against Heytesbury as a 17-year-old.
Ironically Mick Hunt was Heytesbury's coach.
By 2008 Hunt was Timboon Demons president and Matheson was coach.
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