Veterans attest to hard final journey
IT’S BEEN A LONG ROAD TO A FIRST GRADE GRAND FINAL FOR BURLEIGH AND HELENSVALE PACIFIC PINES. BRENT O’NEILL CHATS TO THE LONGEST-SERVING MEMBERS OF EACH CLUB
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OOKABURRA Cup veterans TJ Miller and Ryan Maloney have been dreaming about this moment for almost a decade.
While the talismanic fast bowlers will be rivals when their teams fight for a maiden top-grade title in today’s grand final at GUGC Sports Oval, Miller (Burleigh) and Maloney (Helensvale Pacific Pines) are united by their long wait for success.
The match was yesterday sensationally shifted from Helensvale’s Hession Oval to Arundel after officials deemed the ground too wet.
Miller, 27, arrived at Burleigh in 2009-10 with the club still its infancy, before emerging as a first grade regular in 2012-13.
The chance to appear in the Cup decider has taken even longer for 24-year-old Maloney, who joined the Hawks in 2008-09 and made his top grade debut two years later.
“It’s awesome (to make a final), it’s not something I thought I’d be a part of for a few years,” the Helensvale resident said.
“I think we’ve all just bought into (coach Paul Baird’s) game plan at the start of the year. He’s made it all pretty simple for us to follow, we’ve all bought into it and it’s worked pretty well.”
Helensvale enter the decider on the back of a 162-run semi final thrashing of Broadbeach Robina, while Burleigh booked their ticket with a shock 25-run win over twotime defending champions Queens.
Robina-based Miller said the victory sparked “ridiculous celebrations”, but he knows the job is only half done.
“You kick off the season dreaming about a premiership and last week obviously was the first step. It’s just a real buzz around the club at the moment, that’s for sure,” he said. “For the youngest club on the Coast (to make the final), it’s huge. I think our highest finish in the Kookaburra Cup has been secondlast so it’s probably a bit more special than most.
“We’ve battled for probably four or five years ever since we got entry in (to first grade). Us and Helensvale are alike (in that) both our clubs have had similar paths since the inception of promotionrelegation in the Kookaburra Cup.
“It’s absolutely awesome.”
YOU KICK OFF THE SEASON DREAMING ABOUT A PREMIERSHIP AND LAST WEEK OBVIOUSLY WAS THE FIRST STEP
BURLEIGH’S TJ MILLER