By JARROD POTTER
CHALK up another School Sport Victoria (SSV) Premier Football final for the ages.
Continuing a storied rivalry in SSV football circles, the south-east’s premier public schoolboys side Hallam Senior College locked horns with the west’s best – Essendon Keilor College – once again.
With the MCG unavailable this year – the schoolboys grand final was played at Sandringham’s Trevor Barker Beach Reserve and its seaside location set the perfect backdrop for a match that ebbed and flowed like the bay tides.
Missing likely AFL draftee Bailey Rice (groin), Hallam went in with determination aplenty to make up its under-age and under-sized roster.
Hallam failed to fire in the first term – letting the western force take the upper hand as only Gippsland Power TAC Cup live wire Jai Rout managed to muster any great forward initiative.
Kyle Hendy would boot the only major for Hallam in the first term and the coach rightly demanded more intensity and to up their tempo at the first address.
It would take until the second half for Manny Peresso’s words to take effect as Hallam’s second quarter didn’t match up with its true capabilities as the south-easterners trailed by 25 at the main break.
Running back out after half-time, Hallam executed a full 180 – shifting its poor running and inability to match strength with Essendon Keilor in the packs and flipped it on its head.
The third term was a blur of red, blue and white as Hallam surged on the back of some impressive work from Mutimer and Jarryd Trait in the midfield, Jordan Stewart, Phil Raso and Rout.
Caleb Millman found himself up forward and made the most of the rare opportunity as the Noble Park/Dandenong Stingrays defender created a goal out of nothing – hunting down an Essendon opponent who was rendered holding the ball then slotting the massive goal to put Hallam 14 points ahead at the final break.
But the third term was about all Hallam had left in them as Essendon Keilor surged to the front in the final quarter.
TAC Cup listed dynamo Hisham Kerbatieh was sensational for the opponents as he charged through the midfield and also created plenty of opportunity when switched forward late in the game.
His contested mark and ensuing goal put Essendon Keilor back in front with two minutes remaining and the top ranked SSV side held their mantle and clamped down on the ball to take another win on the state stage.
“We took a long time to settle and that first quarter is what really hurt us,” Peresso said.
“I don’t think we ran out of legs, it was just nerves and dealing with pressure.
“This was the first time we’ve really been tested over the course of the season, so the boys took a bit to respond to that, but I’m proud with how they fought back in that third quarter.”
Peresoo praised midfield efforts of Mutimer – awarded Hallam’s best-on-ground medal – as he was an “absolute gun”, according to the coach, and Rout and Cooper Sheppard up forward.
Essendon Keilor will now enter the Herald Sun Shield, starting later this month.
SSV GRAND FINAL
ESSENDON KEILOR 4.3 7.5 7.6 12.7 (79)
HALLAM SC 1.3 3.4 10.8 11.9 (75)
Hallam goals: N/A.
Best: Mutimer, Rout, Millman, Trait, Raso.
