It is finally here, the last Saturday in August and the 2023 King Island Football Association’s Grand Final day where the minor premiers Grassy Hawks will take on the Currie Robins.
All clubs, umpires and support staff wore black arm bands for the passing of Peter Youd this week. Peter was a long-time supporter of the Currie FC and football in general on King Island. He was president of the KIFA for 6 years from 2010 to 2015. A minute’s silence was held for him before the national anthem.
Grassy started hot to trot and were first to score through Jackson Taylor with some hot wheels on sprinting up the wing but ground grubs the kick into the goal post, a second attempt is also made by Grassy with a Brady Rhodes mark that he dribbles over the boundary for a throw-in.
Currie win the clearance to get their first serious look forward for a behind by Ben Doherty. In a forward press for Grassy, the ball meets a contest and dribbles over the boundary again.
Currie have indeed brought their high-pressure game into the final and neither team can get a clean hand to it, but the ball spends a lot of time the Grassy forward line early.
Rory Taylor is also making an impact early. Pressure from Clint Stretton onto Sam Reeves means his errant kicks is immediately turned over. In the Currie forward area, Dylan Keeley gets a look at the ball but has neither the time or space to make an impact. Jack Worral marks in defence, the turnovers are fierce and the only consistent thing happening so far in this game.
Sukma Bowling touches another on the line for Grassy, so far behinds have been the only score available. Dale Reed has the ball outside 40m and looks for a way in but all he’s met with is congestion. Brandon Blomfield gives Grassy something to aim at in the forward line but no possession is easy and J Taylor takes a well-fought mark just left of the goal from a body-on-body with Joel Williams, and the result is the same, just left of goal.
The pace of the game moves quickly and I fear if I stop typing for even a moment I will miss things, which I almost do when Tristan Forrest runs from the centre, breaks the drought with a big kick and a lucky bounce for the first goal of the match.
The Taylor boys link up to put Grassy forward again but are met by Worral who turns it over and gives Currie another shot forward, while Currie’s pressure has been intense their forward entries have been few and far between, they do not have the luxury of missed opportunities today. Forrest, again, gets possession at centre half forward and wheels around a few to slot his and Grassy’s second of the match.
Jack Noseda in defence plays in front for an easy turnover and Grassy goes forward again to their leading goal kicker Tyler Rhodes who gets involved, a shot on and his big kick is an accurate one. Mole(Joel Williams) is doing a power of work for Currie in the middle and is rewarded with a free, into Jak Youd, who slots it over to Keeler who will have Currie’s first set shot at goal of the match and he capitalises. Bowling wins a clearance and the contest follows the ball out on the wing. Currie gains possession and another opportunity that Dylan Keeler puts an end to. Grassy go in at quarter time it 14 points up.
Rory Taylor v Michael Laskey in the first ruck, an even contest is immediately held up in congestion. Doug Cox receives a free in the wing and get its forward for Currie until Rory Taylor is awarded a free deep in defence and as Grassy head up the canteen wing Currie is caught off guard, Jackson Taylor sprints out with a shot on with no one home for Currie but gets unlucky on the second bounce and goes through for a behind.
Grassy get a second chance shortly after when T Rhodes gets a free in close to goal and makes it happen. Jackson Taylor out of centre goes into Tyler Rhodes on the lead who goes bang bang with two goals in as many minutes. Grassy get another free up forward and Forrest will line up for another, and gets it. Grassy have blown out the scoreboard in this second quarter but Currie’s pressure has not ceased.
Mole kicks in from a behind and they move the ball back to their forward line which meets Noseda’s golden fist. Freddy Tatawaqa at full back puts a stop to any scoring ideas Currie has. Bowling gets some air and takes a contender for mark of the year but his kick is errant and finds Grassy’s seemingly impenetrable backline. Jakawenko gets a shot at 40 out and gives Currie something to cheer about shortly after ,Smith and Doherty put a nice little package together in Currie’s forward line but results in nothing.
Bradey Rhodes gets a controversial mark in the pocket and sprays his first one for the day, but the ball only gets as far as the centre where Blomfield tackles and gets the free, goes forward, finds Forrest who goals again. Frosi and Worral in a ruck contest and they both miss everything and flattens them both hard on the deck. Rory Taylor takes an intercept in the centre and runs on, kick is touched by Worral, but Reed runs in and picks it up on the line to chip it through for a certain Grassy goal.
Forrest from the centre, into Reed, back to Forrest who will go for goal and misses by an edge which has been a rarity for him as he has put together a stella performance so far today see him help Grassy to a 47 point lead at half time.
Worral and R Taylor go up in ruck and Bowling gives Currie the first look, until Reeves receives a free, but kicks it into Worral, there is s contest in the middle until Grassy find their way forward and over the line for a throw in that Jackson Taylor speeds out of and gets the first for Grassy in the second half.
With no wind there is a silence around the field since half time, the scoreline continues to blow apart. Jak Youd take a nice intercept mark at half forward and punts one home for a Currie goal. Forrest pirouettes out of trouble, to Wardlaw and push forward where Reed gets a nice low mark in front of the Grassy faithful in the pocket, he makes the most of his opportunity with a long bomb goal. Grassy spend some time up forward.
Arnie (Arnold Stellmaker) gets involved in the centre, Youd sells some candy into Doug who marks, plays on, and runs into open goal. Wardlaw and Stretton in a nice contest that Stretton wins this time getting the ball deeper into Currie’s forward line but is met by a roaming, unmanned Noseda for an easy turnover. Bellchambers unusually quite today finds a behind. Reed another goal for Grassy. Perhaps it is the intensity of the game or the chill that is descending but the game is slipping away from Currie. Play has deteriorated but the pressure remains, but some passes get sloppy, players are getting slower and the scoreline continues to widen.
Laskey runs down the wing and dodges two, but the ball gets caught in the centre, and ultimately back in Grassy’s forward line where Monson will get a shot on and scores and see Grassy increase their lead to 61 points at lemons.
The final quarter starts and Currie have unleashed Tommy Graham, and to Currie’s credit with the margin seemingly insurmountable they continue to go hard and put up a fight to the end. Although, Noseda does continues his free reign in the backline. Youd hits the point post so squarely the top might wobble off. Grassy exit the backline up the golf course side to Keeley in the centre but finds a Worral fist, contest, wich goes over Monson’s head and finds the boundary. Bellchambers, to Bolwing, to the centre, Noseda strolling through procures it and pops one into Forrest, T. Rhodes calls for it, but Tristan takes on the kick, misses to the centre that finds Monson who gets it into Keeley who goals it. There’s a lot of congestion in the centre and Tristan Forrest takes it out of Currie’s forward line, he’s been both back and forward today. Tyler Rhodes lines up from the pocket wing probably 20, 30 out. Three minutes to go. There is a ball up in Grassy’s forward line. Dyland Keeley comes out with it and has a pot shot for a goal. The ball goes back to centre and what you would think will be the last ball up of the game, Rory and Laskey contest the ruck but there is just more congestion. James Jakawenko takes possession but goes to ground. Grassy sneak in another goal, and as the ball is returned to centre the final siren sounds to the cheers of the Grassy faithful and they become premiers by 80 points for 2023 and see themselves enter the record books by winning 3 in a row for the first time in their history.
Winner of the Jim Sartori Medal for the best player in the grand final went to Tristan Forrest from Grassy and was presented by Jim’s son Donald Sartori.