At last: Yarroweyah's senior footballers celebrate the side's first win in almost two years following a 39-point victory over Blighty on Saturday, May 27. Photo: Danyelle Henderson
When the final siren sounded in Blighty on Saturday afternoon, Yarroweyah senior coach Tommy Scott threw his hands into the air and looked to the sky.
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After one year, 10 months and 17 days, the Hoppers were victors once again.
The siren brought to an end a near two-year winless drought for Yarroweyah, sealing a 39-point victory for the green-and-gold.
A six-goal-to-one first term set the tone for the Hoppers, who kept the Redeyes at arm’s length for the rest of the contest to run out 14.12 (96) to 8.9 (57) winners.
Having last tasted victory back in round 14 of the 2021 season and after enduring a tough campaign last year that saw the club field a senior side just once, Scott said it was a relief to get a win on the board.
“Obviously it was good. For our boys it is just the monkey off the back, putting in the hard work and finally getting the chocolates,” he said.
“It is something positive for us to work towards after getting the first win. It gets morale up and about and gets a bit of belief amongst the boys, which is good.
“It was good seeing all the boys’ faces when the siren went and all the hugs and everything after the game.
“To sing the song and look around and everyone was up and about after the game, it brings hope and hopefully brings a few more people through the gate to come and watch Yarroweyah again.
“To finally get a breakthrough, it is a reward for everyone’s persistence.”
What a feeling: Hoppers president Ben Henderson and senior captain Nick De Cicco celebrate the win over Blighty. Photo: Danyelle Henderson
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Relief: Yarroweyah president Ben Henderson and senior coach Tommy Scott celebrate the sweet feeling of victory for the first time in almost two years. Photo: Danyelle Henderson
Nicholas De Cicco led the Hoppers with three goals on the afternoon, while youngster Kepler Lukies and Scott himself each had two.
Scott said his side’s ability to put in a complete performance was key in coming away with the win.
“We put in a four-quarter performance. There were a few stages there where the tide had turned, but for the boys, it was good to be able to swing it back in our favour,” he said.
“We knew when to slow the game down and when to attack.
“If momentum swings a bit which it does in every game, you just have to be able to rise above it and not allow two or three goals to be piled on and try to swing it back.
“It was a huge team effort. After three-quarter time we didn’t have a bench.
“For the boys to stand up, and a lot of younger boys from the under-17s did a huge job, really stood up against grown men and played their role.
“From the backline all the way to the forward line, they did what they had to. They won the hard balls and the one-on-ones, it was a great team effort, which was good.”
The win for Yarroweyah’s seniors is the latest positive result in what has already been a stellar year for the football netball club.
Its A-grade side earlier won its first game in almost four years back in April, also earning back-to-back wins for the first time since 2014.
The Hoppers’ strong season on the court continued with a 50-27 triumph over Blighty, the team’s fifth win of the campaign so far.
Back in round six, Yarroweyah’s under-17 footballers also ended a winless run dating back almost two years with a victory over Katamatite.
And the club’s C-reserve got their first four points of the season on the board last weekend after defeating the Redeyes 21-12.
On the board: Yarroweyah's C-reserve netballers defeated Blighty by nine goals to earn win number one for 2023. Photo: Danyelle Henderson
With positive results abound, Scott said there was a fantastic vibe across the entire club at the moment.
“It is not just the team, it is the supporters and everyone that wants to come through the gate and support us, which is good,” Scott said.
“It is not just building an A-grade side or a senior side, it is about getting people into the club and welcoming in families.
“It is good coming from where we were. We knew it wasn’t going to be done overnight, we weren’t going to be a finals side. But just to have that base there to build on is good.
“Getting the club back to where it was is the main goal and I feel like we are doing that at the moment.”
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