MAGICAL MOMENT: A WALK DOWN MEMORY LANE IN NEW BULLETIN FEATURE
SEPTEMBER 18, 2016: As Palm Beach Currumbin and Surfers Paradise get set for the QAFL grand final on Saturday, we revisit the first all-Gold Coast decider between Labrador and the Lions. Terry Wilson reports.
ONE throwaway line from Labrador coach Perry Meka best described why Labrador scored a second successive QAFL premiership.
“Big blokes never get shorter,” Meka noted after the Tigers downed fellow Gold Coast club Palm BeachCurrumbin by 15.12 (102) to 7.7 (49) in the 2016 grand final at Leyshon Park in Brisbane.
Meka’s comment explained it all. Labrador’s tall timber – and experience – were simply too much for the Lions to match. The Tigers were on from the start, the Lions were not. Labrador’s senior group stood up, the PBC senior group were very spasmodic across the board.
The Lions did not have a Wayde Mills (Joe Grant Medallist), a Bryce Retzlaff (six goals), a Josh Baxter (three goals), a Jake Goldsmith in the ruck nor an Andy Hollis in the ruck.
PBC’s previously in-form ruckman Jonathan Croad did not have an influence, nor did their Grogan Medal-winning captain Jesse Derrick, nor did Josh Woolley while Jackson Emblem hobbled around on a bad knee. “I’ve always said if our top-line players we recruit play good in big games, we can put young kids around them and build a footy club,” Meka said after surprisingly tearing up during his victory speech.
“They make me emotional, to have six players in their teens and win a premiership.”
Skipper Retzlaff was superb at centre half-forward with 6.3.
“It was really tough and we knew Palmy would keep coming and keep coming,” Retzlaff said.
“They’re a proud club and we were just able to will ourselves with the pressure acts and the tackles through the third quarter and we were able to break them and come home with the breeze in the last quarter.”
At ground level centreman Billy Hicks, lively and creative forward Charlton Offermans and Micky Abbey were excellent.
Beaten PBC coach Chad Owens conceded the Tigers were simply too good.
“They were on from the first bounce,” he said. “They outworked us, they outmuscled us, they outsmarted us and they shut our ball movement down really well.
“We had contributors but we just didn’t have four-quarter performers.”
Lachlan Ritchie did a great job in a variety of roles and Max Spencer, in the first half in particular on Retzlaff, were the pick of the Lions.
I’VE ALWAYS SAID IF OUR TOP-LINE PLAYERS WE RECRUIT PLAY GOOD IN BIG GAMES, WE CAN PUT YOUNG KIDS AROUND THEM AND BUILD A CLUB 2016 TIGERS COACH PERRY MEKA