By Tyler Lewis
Hidden within the Narre Warren Football Netball Club’s subconscious is an insatiable desire for success.
Unlike other perennial powerhouses, the Magpies have built their high walls from the strength of their own back.
And on Sunday those walls grew a little taller, as the black and white army brought home eight of a possible nine premierships.
Narre Warren collected the Under-15 White, Under-15 Blue, Under-17 Blue, D, C and B Grade netball premierships, along with the senior and reserve football titles.
It took until the second period of extra time to deny the Magpies of a clean sweep, with Olinda Ferny Creek securing the A Grade silverware.
The senior football side shrugged off a lightning delay and a plucky Woori Yallock outfit to cap off a season that saw just one defeat.
As the sunlight of an extraordinary day washed away from the landscape of Gembrook Recreation Reserve on Sunday evening, Narre Warren president Stuart Stephenson reflected on a famous day in his club’s history.
“I think club culture and staying together as one club,” he divulged as to why this club is so successful.
“And having people who coach the club that are really interested in putting the club first and looking after each other and making it a welcoming place.
“I think we showed a lot of courage today, it would’ve have been easy in the conditions to not come away with wins in some of those games that we thought we might.
“Everyone stuck together all day and dug deep, particularly the seniors; it was a great courageous effort to get over the line.”
Emotions were running high in the aftermath of an intense day, but when the Pies were on the right side of the ledger when the final siren echoed across Gembrook, it was just one overwhelming emotion that hit Stephenson.
“Relief more than joy,” he said.
“Joy will hopefully kick in over the next couple of days when some of the people that have done a lot of hard work get their rewards for it.
“It’s more relief today… Woori Yallock were fantastic, they were brave in the conditions and half-way through the last quarter I thought you might be talking to them.
“Thommo (Tigers president Robert Thompson) and his club do a fantastic job, Woori Yallock, they’re a small township and they always fight above their weight and they did it again today.
“I know it’s a cliché, but it’s a bit surreal right at the moment, so many people have put in a lot of hours for this and – like all clubs – it really has been three years in the making.
“To have Shane Dwyer standing up there as our senior coach, I know how much his family has done for this club – it makes us all very proud.”
Additionally to Dwyer, Stephenson couldn’t look beyond a pair of unsung heroes on field.
“It’s probably a couple, but Josh Tonna and Mitch Tonna,” he said.
“It was Josh’s fifth premiership that he has played in at Narre Warren; he has been – outside our club – a quiet achiever and not well known.
“Within our club he is super-well regarded and probably in the best half a dozen players we’ve had in the last 15 years.
“He played really well on that wing and dominated in tricky conditions, he had a great game and his family contributes a lot to our club.
“Mitch is a good story, he had always been a reserves player for a couple of years, but he had a couple of great pre-seasons and made himself a really important senior player.
“The two of them on the wings were the difference for us in the second half.”
As for the A Grade group, Stephenson commended their professionalism in trying circumstances and backed them to return stronger in season 2023.
“I think it will drive them a lot, they had a fantastic season,” he said.
“Only two losses for the season in close games… the girls were great (post game), they are a professional group.
“I think they accepted it was a great game against Olinda (Ferny Creek), one of the great netball grand finals, and there just had to be a loser on the day.
“But they had a fantastic season and they’ll push harder for next year.”
The eight-flag haul is the biggest in Narre Warren Football Netball Club history.
