Long road to ultimate prize
MITCH Herbison lauded the impact of mentor Troy Mitchell as Barwon Heads capped off “five years of building” to win the BFL premiership.
Herbison paid tribute to Mitchell post- match, declaring the co- coach had a profound influence on him, complementing a dream coaching group that led the Seagulls to the ultimate prize.
“He’s been amazing, Troy,” Herbison said of Mitchell, who joined the club this season with a long history of success in the GFL.
“His knowledge of the game and his ability to make hard decisions — he’s got a great feel for the game — and to have him on the sidelines making those calls certainly took the pressure off me.
“On Saturdays I was able to just concentrate on my role and play footy and Troy took care of the match- day stuff.
“Personally, it was fantastic for me to have someone like Troy come on board.”
The brains and strategist on the bench, Mitchell gave the Seagulls a new dimension of coaching, allowing the smooth- moving Herbison to stamp his authority on matches with his footy smarts and lethal left leg through the midfield and up forward.
The pair served as a dynamic duo, paving the way for Herbison’s fourth premiership as a player ( three with South Barwon) and one as a playingcoach ( Barwon Heads), while Mitchell broke through for his first flag after losing GFL grand finals at Lara and St Mary’s.
“I’m in a bit of shock,” Herbison said Saturday’s win.
“It’s an amazing feeling to finally get there. We’ve been building towards this for a while, and to finally tick it off is an amazing feeling.”
Speaking to the players post match, Mitchell credited the success to work of a host of predecessors who changed the culture, set new standards and drove the club back into finals.
While Mitchell was reluctant to speak post match, Herbison illustrated the impact influential figures, namely former coaches Bobby Wallace, James Garvey and Adam Wiseman, have had on the club. Herbison felt the tide turned for Barwon Heads
when Garvey and Wiseman, decorated players at GFL club South Barwon, brought a new professionalism to the BFL club in 2015.
“It goes back to when Wisey and Garvs took over as coaches,” Herbison said of Barwon Heads’ return to power.
“They drilled it into the players that we wanted to be playing finals. They gave them a good taste of it and the work that Bobby did last season was amazing.
“He was a great guy to work with and we wanted to keep building, we wanted it to be sustainable.
“We didn’t want to have one crack at it and disappear into the sunset.
“It was something we wanted to be sustainable for the club and there’s so many people who have contributed to that.”
The club’s fifth BFL premiership came a year later than most had hoped, after the Seagulls stumbled in last year’s grand final despite winning the minor premiership.
But the heartache proved to be a driving force.
The Seagulls were hungry to make amends, producing exhilarating football in the back half of the season, particularly the second semi- final when they belted Geelong Amateur by 89 points.
It wasn’t all smooth sailing for the Seagulls, who fell out of the top- five after back- to- back losses in rounds eight and nine amid a mid- season form dip compounded by injuries.
“I didn’t have doubts,” Herbison said of his side’s ability to contend. “But it was a really open season and six weeks ago there were six sides who could’ve won it.
“I think there was a little less pressure on the playing group this season. It was anyone’s game, and it was a matter of putting your best footy on the park at the right time.
“Our form leading into the finals was pretty good and we kept building.
“Our final against Ammos and our grand final today ( Saturday) were two of our best performances. It was just a matter of getting it right when it counted — and we did.”
Locked away for another season alongside Mitchell at the helm, Herbison is bullish about his team’s ability to remain at the top.
“Last year we played in a grand final and the year before we played in a prelim, so it’s been a build and we’ve given the guys a taste,” Herbison said. “Every year you want to be playing finals football. If you look at Ammos and Torquay, they have a culture of always playing finals and we want to be like that.”
A bulk of the senior list will remain in 2020, with only a question mark over the future of two young stars.
“No one has indicated that they will retire or leave,” Herbison said. “There’s a few boys like Charlie Sprague who might go to a higher level and Charlie Brauer will have his Falcons footy, but they’re Barwon Heads boys and they will always be Barwon Heads people.
“If they want to play a higher level, good luck to them, they’re great footballers and they’ve got bigger things to achieve.”