By Tyler Lewis
Clint Evans did the unthinkable in 1999.
He broke south east footy law by crossing from Berwick to Beaconsfield.
And although ‘Boof’ has since jumped back to Berwick, his name will be forever etched into the Holm Park folklore.
That etch got a little deeper last week, when Evans – the Eagles’ 2014 premiership coach – was announced coach in Beaconsfield’s Team of the Decade.
He coached 20 of the selected 22 in the Eagles’ best from 2011-2020, earning him Coach of the Decade honours, as voted by his peers.
“It’s funny, I look at myself and people say ‘oh you jumped the creek, you never jump the creek’, but I mean… I probably call myself a Berwick and Beacy person.” Evans said.
“I played my juniors at Berwick, started my assistant coaching at Berwick, but played and coached in flags at Beacy.
“As much as they are arch rivals, I just love both clubs and I am just extremely lucky to be involved in such successful ones.”
He was short of words when asked to describe the acknowledgement, but admitted it meant a great deal to him.
“It’s pretty special,” he admitted.
“To play in two (flags) and coach one is surreal in a way, and then to get this recognition over the decade… it’s pretty special.
“For such a fantastic club (too), they were really successful in the 90s when I was there and then Leigh Clifford coaching three in the early 2000’s.
“I think it was 10 years between drinks when we won, so it was pretty special to get one over that time, that’s for sure.”
Alongside Evans in the highly talented Team of the Decade are his captain and vice-captain’s – Daniel Mislicki and Scotty Meyer.
“I think first and foremost they’re ripper people,” he said.
“Slicker and I are still great mates, to have him there… kick five in the granny and be up there holding the cup with one of my close mates, it was very special.
“And Scotty… well he was just an absolute freak – I still remember when we got him I said ‘I reckon this bloke can win a league best and fairest’ and I think in my time there he won three.
“He was a ruck, but you could play him anywhere, full forward, full back, ruck rover… he was just a freak.
“He’s nearly the best local footballer I have ever seen.”
Mislicki was a walk-up start to this side as a premiership skipper, having featured in the previous Team of the Decade and being the longest-standing captain of the powerful footy club.
He famously kicked five majors in a virtuoso performance that was the 2014 grand final and made four successive Team of the Year’s.
And while a coach’s speech in grand finals is crucial, Evans vividly remembers leaving his star on-baller alone when it came to the breaks in 2014.
“I just let him go,” he recalled.
“He was in that sort of mindset that we just let him run his own race, we were lucky to have Damo Szwaja there tagging so that let Slicker do his own thing.
“He had never kicked five in a game before, but when he went forward he pinged them from everywhere.
“Especially as captain, there’s not much you have to say about Slick, he goes out and does what he needs to do – that’s what makes him such a good player, he did it week-in, week-out.
“There was nothing special from my end… it was pretty much all him to be honest.”
Although the vast majority of names in the Beaconsfield Team of the Decade have been magnets on Evans’ whiteboard before, he does admit it would be a side he would like to see run out each week.
“It would’ve been handy wouldn’t it,” he joked.
“It’s a fairly balanced side, very versatile, it’s a side where you can move players around – it was just fantastic.
“When I was there we won a flag, played in two prelims and played in a qualifying final, we were fairly successful.
“We were lucky enough to pinch one, we were so even – without Slicker (Daniel Mislicki) and Scotty Meyer who were just superstars – we were very even.
“But then you’ve got Robbie Taylor off the half-back flank, which is pretty good too.”
