Shepparton's 2000 premiership winners Jason Wells, Matt Byers, Mark Lambourn, Terence Tuohey, and Brendan Bicknell take a trip down memory lane ahead of this week's premiership reunion.
Photo by
Megan Fisher
The Goulburn Valley League's grand final day in 2000 was a community spectacle, featuring the last Deakin Derby grand final, packed stands and local stars shining on every line.
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But when it was all said and done, one club stood tallest on Deakin Reserve — Shepparton Football Netball Club.
The Bears boys claimed a historic three football premierships in the thirds, reserves and seniors, a feat achieved only three times in the league’s history.
Now, 25 years later, the club is marking the achievement with their premiership reunions scheduled to take place in round 14.
“We have about 30 or 40 (players) committed,” Shepparton president and 2000 premiership player Brendan Bicknell said.
“It’s going to be a good turnout and a big day at the club, with a few past players coming back as well.
“We’re going to make a really big day of it.”
The first senior decider of the 21st century pitted the Bears against Shepparton United, the last time the two clubs met in a senior grand final.
A who’s who of GVL legends, including goal-kicking centurion Anthony Mellington, Morrison medallist Stephen Ash and playing coach Mark ‘‘Chops’’ Lambourn to name only a few, had seen the thirds and reserves already claim the ultimate success.
The Shepparton reserves toppled Benalla by 17 points, led by Michael Christo, who responded to his omission from the senior grand final team by taking out the Peter Ryan Medal for best-on-ground.
The Bears’ thirds had snared a hard-fought seven-point win over Echuca, with Shannon Byrnes, who would go on to become a two-time Geelong premiership player, claiming the Freddo McMahon Medal for best player.
The build-up for the main game spawned the now famed initiative from Lambourn to address letters to his playing, something inspired by former Cobram coach Phil Bunn, a letter flag skipper Terence Tuohey still has.
“Chops as coach did a fantastic job (with the build-up), I’ve still got the note that he wrote to everyone,” Tuohey said.
“We didn’t really think we would win all three, we all just focused on our own areas.
“It probably wasn’t until the thirds and the seconds had won that the senior guys realised we could be part of something really special – that perhaps probably put a bit more pressure on.”
The game itself was, unsurprisingly, a physical contest, one which had the Demons up by a goal at half-time until a four-goal burst in the third handed the Bears a 19-point buffer.
With the wind in the final quarter, the Demons had the lion’s share of the opportunities, but a big stoush between the two clubs fired the Bears back into gear, clinching the clubs’ 26th senior flag 15.5 (95) to 9.14 (68).
Anthony Mellington, Jason Wells and Adam Bovalino all booted three goals, with Bovalino’s performance – including a memorable mark and goal in the dying stages — netting him the VCFL Medal for best-on-ground.
“There were some great people before me who brought it all together and I got to put the finishing touches on it,” Lambourn said.
“We had Gary Chapman who was the chairman of selectors, he ran the boundary line side of things, so that allowed me to play the game and do what I need to do.
“We had some older players who had been there for quite a period of time, but we also had some amazing young boys who came through.
“We probably went in as underdogs; (United) had a star-studded team.
“I’ve probably only watched the game 20 or 30 times and that last quarter they had a couple of chances kicking with the wind, they probably missed three or four shots early in the last quarter.
“It was really in the balance, but when that fracas spilled out it just kicked us into gear.”
Shepparton is celebrating the 25th anniversary of their senior, reserve, and thirds grade flag triumphs.
Photo by
Megan Fisher
It was also a busy day for thirds coach Brendan Bicknell, who already had a medal around his neck by the time he lined up in the back half for the Shepparton seniors later that day.
“I was pretty fried by 12pm after the thirds had won,” Bicknell said.
“I probably didn’t contribute much to the senior game, but certainly to win the thirds and back it up with the senior one was pretty special.
The modern-day Bears on current form are still in the hunt to emulate that feat, currently fifth in the seniors, second in the reserves and undefeated in the thirds with an eye-popping percentage of 530.
On the field, they face Shepparton United, but off the field, tales of premiership glory will ring through the clubrooms, such as the post-script that a then 22-year-old Matt Byers recalls.
“One of my highlights is listening to Chops talk after the game, standing up on that grandstand,” Byers said.
“He said something along the lines of ‘we’re a good team, but today we became a great one’.
“It’s a pretty strong bond, my word – and it’ll be pretty hard to break I can assure you.”
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