‘This win means everything to me’, says tough Bannockburn star
JACK Brauman is not the emotional type. He’s hard as a cat’s head, tough and courageous. But amid the euphoria of Bannockburn’s stunning premiership triumph, the hardnosed Brauman was close to tears.
“I just couldn’t be any more proud of the boys,” Brauman said moment’s after Sunday’s grand final victory over Thomson.
“It means everything to me. That’s as close as I’ve come to crying. I was close, and I wouldn’t admit if I did.”
In a memorable grand final, Bannockburn held its nerve under intense pressure, booting two final-quarter goals to cause a shock upset over the overwhelming favourites.
“I was absolutely s---ing myself in that last quarter, so I’m so happy we got over the line,” Brauman said.
“I just knew they were going to come. We kept scoring and I was begging for one more goal and we held them off every time it went in our backline.
“Our defenders were standing up and they saved the day, really. It’s unreal.”
Brauman, who played with a broken wrist, struggled to the bench midway through the last quarter but found strength in the words of wisdom from coach Peter Riccardi.
“I remember ‘Ricco’ saying at three-quarter time, ‘No matter how much you’re hurting, keep gritting your teeth and moving forward’ and that’s exactly what happened,” he said.
Having returned to Bannockburn after a one-year stint at VFL club Werribee, Brauman has tasted his first senior premiership success.
“This is a bit of reward for seven years of blood, sweat and tears,” Brauman said. “It’s the best feeling in the world. I can’t believe it.
“It (2016) hurt so much, but at the same time, it gave me so much experience coming in today (Sunday).
“It calmed my nerves a bit. I knew what to expect and that’s what helped a lot of the boys.”
With blood dripping from his face following a head clash in the last quarter, Brauman stressed he had no doubt he would return to football, despite suffering facial injuries stemming from an incident in the 2017 finals series.
“I always knew I’d come back,” Brauman said. “I had a bit of time off, but this (premiership) is what you play for.”