A premiership built on culture at Adelaide Street Oval

BY ALEX TIGANI

There has been a common theme for the Killarney Vale Bombers in the past four decades.

Usually when the club’s men win a top tier grand final, they return to the premiership dais the following year.

It was the case in 1981 and 1982 as well as 1986 and 1987 and let’s not forget their back-to-back feat in 1997 and 1998.

Unable to make to it a three peat in 1999, the club did welcome a teenager that year who would play a significant role in their next two premierships.

His name was Corey Shackleton.

After one training session, he never looked back.

“I went and played and I just loved it,” he reflected.

The youngster had played soccer for Killarney Vale and Berkley Vale prior and watched on as his mates dabbled in rugby league for the Toukley Hawks.

What was a ‘come and try’ offer by Bomber Jeff McLean to Corey and fellow mates Justin Daley, Daniel Curtis, Paule Hooke and Scott Young (to name a few) ahead of the 1999 season resulted in the start of a long list of journeys at Adelaide Street Oval.

“I remember I was there early at my first training session and sat on a log and a guy came past who won a Davey medal by the name of Peter Southwell,” Corey continued.

“He asked, what’s your name?”

“I thought how good is this, you play soccer and you are one of thousands of people in the club and you exist for decades and they wouldn’t know your name.

“Here I was at my first training session as a kid playing under-18s and the senior coach knows my name and is introducing me to all these players.”

Fast forward 23 years later and all eyes were on Corey on Saturday, September 17 when he lifted the premiership cup to end the Bombers’ 15-year premiership drought in the AFL Black Diamond Cup competition.

He was immensely proud.

Feelings of relief and joy complimented the 13-point grand final win which saw the Bombers bounce back from a seven-point trail at the main break to claim the premiership before a home crowd.

“It was so rewarding to just see these guys go through a premiership drought and then get some success,” he revealed.

“I felt good for guys like Brendan Lewis and Brad Edwards, the older guys who could have gone through their whole career without winning a flag.

“They had finally done it.”

Personally, he did not have too long to wait for his first grand final.

In 1999 his line-up made the under-18 decider against The Entrance Bateau Bay and the senior side battled a Maurice Goolagong-inspired-Terrigal Avoca in the big dance.

Both Killarney Vale sides would face defeat that day.

In 2000 the Bombers looked every chance to take out the first premiership in the merged competition only to suffer a preliminary final defeat to Cardiff.

The shock defeat at Adelaide Street marked the club’s first of three preliminary final exits.

Though Corey was elevated to vice-captain in 2003, his line-up would suffer massive defeats across the next two seasons when finishing in the bottom two.

The addition of Clint Austerberry saw a rejuvenated line-up sky-rocket up the ladder in 2005 and play Cardiff in the season decider.

Unable to replicate the feat in 2006, the Bombers then achieved the ultimate in 2007 when celebrating a 9.9 (63) to 4.17 (41) grand final win against Newcastle City.

It would be his most memorable day in footy, at least until this September.

“It was a surprise win, to be honest,” he recalled.

“If you were paying odds for it, City would have been paying $1.02 even after our preliminary final win against Warners Bay.”

Now a proud premiership player, he would continue donning the Killarney Vale colours with pride until 2016.

He spent three seasons as captain from 2010-12, claimed three club best and fairest awards from 2011-13 and was recognised with league life membership after becoming the first player to reach the 250 first grade game figure since the merger of the Central Coast and Newcastle regions.

Though he served for a period as an assistant he did not contemplate taking up the club’s main role until he received a phone call from teammate Brendan Lewis on his birthday in 2018.

Despite hesitation, they were both self-confessed ‘footy tragics’ who knew they could make a difference.

A few weeks after that long phone call on October 17, they received the gig.

“I’ve learnt from experience in the executive world that culture eats strategy for breakfast,” he continued.

“So I did not want to get caught up in just football strategy and the x’s and o’s in 2019.

“We knew that the club has always turned over coaches and we admired our local rival Terrigal with Chris Bishop and his tenure in which he had been so consistent over such a long period.

“I said ‘as long as the club was willing to have me, and its working, then I was going to take the time to get the culture right so we had the foundation for success’.”

The player driven trademark of ‘consistent and relentless’ was implemented in 2019 and while there was plenty of upside that year, the group was gutted to face a 16-point elimination final defeat to Singleton at Muswellbrook.

There were ups and downs the following two seasons as teenagers with 10-senior games grew into young men with 50-60 senior games under the belt.

Ball winner Rick White, one of two teenagers in the club’s last premiership side with Nathan Elsworthy, equalled the club record of four best and fairest wins in 2020 (adding to his previous triumphs in 2007, 2010 and 2014).

Shackleton was then honoured with a JJ Arnold Club Person of the Year Award in 2021.

And the team had bonded throughout the period’s covid-lockdowns and floods through virtual running challenges on the Strava App and volunteer work for the community.

Many of Corey’s favourite leadership techniques and behaviours from Leading Teams’ programs had now become the norm at Adelaide Street Oval.

After a second consecutive pre-season bonding weekend at Seal Rocks’ Treachery Camp and the return of 2018 Elliott-Davey medallist Tim Oosterhoff after two seasons at WAFL level it was time for the Bombers to make a statement in 2022.

Reinvented as a forward, Oosterhoff landed eight of his side’s 12 goals in their opening win against powerhouse Newcastle City and then ten in their 70-point win against Maitland.

On the other end of the field, the Bombers’ back line would only concede four goals in their final three rounds.

By season’s end, the Bombers had claimed the minor premiership with a 14-1 record and were set for a memorable grand final after dismantling Terrigal Avoca 9.5 (59) to 5.4 (34) in the second semi-final.

There was much hype around the Central Coast on grand final week when Oosterhoff pipped teammate Joshua Mifsud by a single vote to claim his second Elliott-Davey medal.

He was also awarded with the Maurice Goolagong trophy as the leading goal-kicker for his 96 goals in the home and away season.

His additional four to reach the ton in the semi-final meant that the group had one less thing to worry about on grand final day.

And so began the season decider. Again, they would face Terrigal Avoca.

It was Killarney Vale’s first grand final appearance since 2014 and evoked plenty of emotion from the Adelaide Street Oval crowd from the first bounce after Bombers’ fans endured a heartbreaking women’s grand final loss moments earlier.

Shackleton’s men made the opening statement when Brandon Lloyd scored the game’s opening goal and Mifsud joined in the party shortly after.

Rick White proved to be the star of the opening term with eight disposals and four forward entries to grant his side a modest 2.2 (14) to 1.3 (9) lead.

A total of eight individual Panthers managed to record at least one forward entry in the first quarter but were restricted to a single Mitch Price goal.

Lloyd opened the second term with his second goal and the Bombers’ managed to restrict the Panthers to a single goal for the opening 36 minutes of the game.

Yet a late three-goal surge from the league’s powerhouse saw the Panthers enter the main break with a seven-point lead.

Enter Trent Stubbs.

“At halftime, he (Stubbs) said ‘I’m a bit out of it across half forward, put me deep, we’re not losing this game mate,’ and the rest was history,” Shackleton recalled.

With four marks and four kicks to his name at halftime, the former Collingwood rookie made AFL Hunter Central Coast grand final history in the third term.

Stubbs showcased a masterclass up forward when booting four goals on four different opponents in the premiership quarter.

His positioning also allowed Ryan Arthur to convert accurately within this memorable eight-minute patch and suddenly a seven-point trail transformed into to a 22-point lead.

Jack Grimmond-Lee was the Panthers’ best player in the third term in the absence of his partner in crime Lachlan White.

It appeared that the Terrigal Avoca ball winner kept the game in balance with six disposals and two forward entries to enable late goals to Corey Billins and Corbin Bond.

Yet a late mark and successful set shot from Luke Flack allowed the Bombers to hold a 9.5 (59) to 6.6 (42) lead at the final break.

Interestingly, this was Killarney Vale’s winning score a fortnight earlier.

As he brought his men together as group one last time, Shackleton knew they would still need to put the foot on the pedal if they were to reach dais in 30 minutes time.

Panther Luke Bury was the first forward to trim the margin and land his second while a Talon Hopper behind brought the margin back to ten points.

Thankfully for Killarney Vale, Trent Stubbs would take another contested mark up forward and score his fifth goal for the second half.

This ignited an Adelaide Street Oval celebration like no other in recent memory.

It would be hard for the Panthers to make a statement against this possessed outfit with only a few minutes remaining.

Panther legend Chris Bishop continued to show grit in the middle. Age was not a factor for the ball winner who ended up with the most disposals for his side.

His captain Kurt Flemming was also phenomenal, taking four of his eight marks in the final term and finishing with 15 disposals in the heated clash.

And the return of Lachlan White was pivotal as he added seven disposals and a crucial goal in the final passages of the game.

But it was Killarney Vale’s day as Shackleton showcased a sigh of relief in the final minute.

Bombers Tom Mumford and Tim Oosterhoff finished their seasons with a heroic mark each down back, Alex Bailey and Calvin Bond also found a lot more of the footy when the game was to be won while a late goal to Lachlan Waters proved to be the icing on the cake for a best on ground performance.

Then came the celebrations.

Three months on, we asked the winning coach if he had a favourite photo from the day?

“Funnily enough, there’s one by my work desk and I’m in the photo but you can’t see me, but it’s the group all up on the dias” he explained.

“There’s the photo of myself and Joshua Mifsud, I think we’re hugging each other and he’s crying as he always is and I’m sobbing away as well.

“I think he was the last player I got to and we hugged for what felt like an hour but it was probably just 30 seconds.

“Then at halftime there’s a photo where I was talking to the guys where I was probably more nervous than the players, losing the faith a little.

“Someone zoomed in on James Kidd and the look on his eyes, it was as if they were going to pop out of his head.

“He looks like he’s going to kill someone, but it captures that belief in the playing group.”

Mifsud finished the season with a third best and fairest award, equalling Shackleton’s triple from a decade earlier.

Shackleton described him as his side’s Rolls-Royce due to his status as the league’s elite midfielder.

“He has always poured his heart and soul into Killarney Vale,” Shackleton explained.

“In previous seasons, or us to be successful he would need to play out of his skin, but having Rick, Hector, Cal Bond and Duncan in the team, its taken the pressure off him and enabled him to go to another level funnily enough’.

“In wet weather football, he is clean below the knees and a class above any other midfielder in the competition particularly when it comes to hard ball gets and ground ball gets.”

Former Gosford junior Nathan Smith was the only player on grand final day to finish with 20+ disposals.

The rebounding defender finished with 21 (20 kicks) and three marks as his proud father Wayne watched on.

“Nathan comes from a great pedigree and is a sublime talent,  but it turned out to be a one two sucker punch with the Smiths because we were talking to them about Killarney Vale and coming to play,” he recalled.

“As soon as one agreed, the other signed up and Wayne as agreed to be our defensive coach and proven to be a brilliant fit with our group”

For Rick White, the 15-year-wait from his first to second premiership medal had come to an end.

Despite being side-lined for a majority of 2021 with plantar fasciitis (visiting multiple specialists and taking time off work) he finished with 19 disposals and a game-high seven forward entries.

“Rick will always fly the flag when it comes to our rebounding off defensive-50, his hard running and elite skills are second to none and in my opinion, he is the greatest footballer that has ever played for Killarney Vale,” he continued.

“The only player that will go past him is Joshua Mifsud if he keeps up this rate.”

Trent Stubbs finished his grand final with eight kicks for a return of five straight goals and two separate score involvements.

Shackleton has since revealed that the former VFL and NEAFL talent was no certainty to venture to the club in 2022.

“I actually started calling him around this time last year, but he just turned 30, had a new job in Sydney and had ongoing problems with his ankles and fingers,” he continued.

“I kept pestering him and in late February he came to a training run and enjoyed it but said he couldn’t play every week to manage the body and work commitments.

“He probably had a pretty challenging year enjoyment wise because he was always driving up here and playing in horrendous conditions.

“He probably never got a chance to put all his talent on the park and put it all on show because he was always playing in rain or mud which, in hindsight, probably worked to our advantage as he went under the radar.”

Mifsud, White, Smith and Stubbs joined the stoic Damien Hector in the best on ground medal conversation.

Federal Member for Dobell Emma McBride then declared midfielder Lachlan Waters as the winner.

“The stuff that he does on grand final day isn’t always obvious,” he explained.

“His ability to get on the deck and fight for the footy like its his first born and his tackle pressure deserves the recognition.”

Shackleton now believes his playing group are much better situated for back-to-back flags in 2023 than they were in 2008 due to the club’s current culture.

Though Tim Oosterhoff, Aaron Duncan and Daniel Cartwright are the Bombers’ first three departures of the off season it should be noted that talents Jayden Banfield, Harley Beckett, Tom Castelnuovo and Tristan Barnett were extremely unlucky not make this year’s grand final side.

Each will be deserving off a large applause if fortunate enough to climb onto the premiership dais in 2023.

“If we can manage our list right and there is no grand final hangover then we’re as good of a chance as ever to go back-to-back,” Shackleton declared.

Now, the final question for all of our five senior premiership winning coaches.

How many times have the match been replayed?

“I haven’t watched the match yet but I have downloaded it for safe keeping,” he concluded.

“At the moment I’m enjoying it for what it is.”

FINAL SCORES

Killarney Vale 11.5 (71)
Terrigal Avoca 8.10 (58)

GOALS

Killarney Vale: Trent Stubbs 5, Brandon Lloyd 2, Joshua Mifsud, Ryan Arthur, Luke Flack and Lachlan Waters.
Terrigal Avoca: Mitchell Price 2, Luke Bury 2, Harrison Pitt, Corey Billins, Corbin Bond and Lachlan White.

MOST DISPOSALS

Killarney Vale: Nathan Smith 21, Rick White 19, Damien Hector 17, Brendan Lewis 12, Lachlan Waters 12, Trent Stubbs 11.
Terrigal Avoca: Chris Bishop 19, Kurt Flemming 17, Corbin Bond 14, Lachlan White 13, Talon Hopper 12, Sam Ellis 11.

IN OTHER NEWS

• The Singleton Roosters have announced three senior coaches for season 2023. Nadene McBride will continue as the women’s coach for fifth season while incoming president Dylan Hixon has revealed Tim Hare (first grade) and Corey Oldham (reserve grade) will be leading the men’s program.
• Killarney Vale officials have confirmed the departure of two premiership players. Key forward and ruckman Tim Oosterhoff, who claimed his second Elliott-Davey medal in 2022, will line-up for the Coolamon Rovers next season. Midfielder and representative medallist Aaron Duncan has also signed with the Parramatta Goannas after a memorable stint with the Bombers.
• Muswellbrook Cats defender Mark McLaughlin was inducted as his club’s latest life member following his many years of service.