By Tyler Lewis
Narre Warren’s laconic, but tempestuous, inside mid Hayden Stage won best afield in the Magpies’ 2022 premiership.
SEPTEMBER, 2022.
Hayden Stagg couldn’t bear to look at the scoreboard in the final term – it was just too stressful.
The energetic, yet laconic, character took home best afield honours in Narre Warren’s victory, for playing a crucial role in the Maggies’ barn-storming final stanza.
The final siren sounded a little bit later than usual, as the thunder and lightning protocols delayed the beginning of the match.
Stagg – who personally felt it was a perfect opportunity to catch some shut-eye – was glad the group remained focused in the delay.
“Oh, it’s actually hard to explain, it was probably the weirdest thing I have actually been through,” he said.
“Then going inside, sitting around knowing you’ve got to play in 45 minutes, I was just lying there, I nearly had a nap to be honest.
“I had my bag on the back of my head and was just looking up thinking it would be nice to have a nap right now.
“I think the other boys stayed switched on which was good, everyone took it very well, it is what it is, it made for a bit of drama for the day didn’t it.”
The hard-nosed left-footer personally suited the conditions, but commended his opposition for their early adjustment to the slippery ground.
“I thought it was very heavy, it was a heavy track,” Stagg said.
“You just needed to be in and under and head over the pill, credit to Woori, they started like a house on fire and until the end as well.
“There were a few sketchy moments; I thought they were going to run away.
“But our boys, we just kept going.”
The moments of panic were combatted with moments of belief, as Stagg ultimately knew the hard-work would pay off.
“Yes and no, we know we’d done the work and we knew we’d have the fitness level,” he said.
“It was just whether we wanted to take the game on and finish it off, but as I said, credit to Woori, they just kept coming, they wouldn’t stop.
“The experience that we have to finish games off is bloody good.
“I didn’t look at the clock the whole last quarter, to be honest – I couldn’t look over at it, I just knew (we were home) when we kept building pressure inside 50 and building stoppages.
“Richo took the piss that last quarter… he was clunking everything, so I had the belief that we were going to get it done.”
With his maiden premiership medallion hanging around his neck, Stagg was relieved to finally get on the board after a hat-trick of heart-breaks.
“This is my first premiership,” he said.
“I have got this (best on medal) hidden, so the premiership medal is all that matters to me… I know its cliché!
“But I have played for a long time now and this is my first one, I have lost three so it’s hard to explain.
“I thought Josh Tonna was bloody good, Richo played well in the second half, you’ve got to be happy with everyone.”
Being awarded best on ground in a premiership-winning side caps off a successful week for Stagg, who was one of several Magpies named in the Outer East Premier Division Team of the Year.
