By Marcus Uhe
The clock ticks during time-on in the final minutes of Gembrook Cockatoo’s clash with Emerald in Outer East Football Netball’s Premier Division.
The local rivals were locking horns for the first time since 2022, and with Gembrook Cockatoo holding a slender lead, the game was well and truly in the balance
The Brookers led by as many as 27 points during the final term before the Bombers kicked into gear.
A trio of goals saw them gradually chip away, with Jared Derksen’s second in the 22nd minute cutting the margin to just six points.
Two days earlier a side in a red and black jumper fought out a pulsating draw at the MCG, and with just a straight kick separating the two in time-on, a sense of anticipation gripped Gembrook Recreation Reserve.
It’s moments like these when you need your best players to come to the fore, and into the fore came Gembrook Cockatoo’s senior heads.
From a boundary throw in on the grandstand side, it was captain, Damien Volta that emerged with the football and found Michael Firrito on the lead inside 50, 30 metres from goal on a slight angle.
Engaged in a brilliant tussle with Emerald’s 2023 best-and-fairest winner Mitch Thomas for the afternoon, Firrito’s size and anticipation of his captain’s contest win gave him an edge on his opponent, just enough of a break for an unassailable position.
With two goals to his name but a handful of misses, there was no certainly that the former North Melbourne champion would kick truly, given he and his side’s fortunes in the last fortnight in the biggest moments.
That was, until, the ball left his boot.
There was no mistaking the roar of the Brookers’ faithful in the bumper crowd as the goal umpire signalled for six points, and minutes later the victory was confirmed, the first at home for Gembrook Cockatoo in nearly 12 months.
But one over the old foes made it all the more sweet for Firrito and his men.
“It’s a huge rivalry, you learn that it’s a game you always want to get yourself up for and play well in to beat Emerald, that’s for sure,” Firrito said.
“Obviously we’ve got a lot of respect for them but I guess it stems from… you go to school together, you grow up together, you’ve got mates, I guess, and there’s just that rivalry joining communities and towns.
“We haven’t played them since 2022 so there was a big crowd today.
“They were super, they rallied late and I think everyone who came out here today would have enjoyed themselves.”
Stirring Anzac Day ceremonies preceded the contest, with the Brookers the first to kick into gear.
Joel Firrito helped the home side to an ideal start with a goal on the run as his side owned the opening stages, but through goals to Jake McGough and Noah Van Haren, it was Emerald with the slight lead at the first break.
Slow out of the gates, Emerald looked up to the standard the longer the quarter played out, with Van Haren’s snap from the pocket capping an impressive run of possession from the back half.
The Bombers were eager to use the corridor and play with speed, where the home side was considerably more patient, in a controlled, measured approach.
With 1.5 to their name at quarter time, a foreboding sense of déjà vu lingered for the home side, having failed to kick truly seven days earlier at the same venue in a narrow loss to Olinda Ferny Creek.
But in the second term it was the Bombers with a wonky radar, kicking just 2.6 from eight opportunities, fast becoming their own worst enemies.
Talismanic forward David Johnson was being well held by Ben Schultze and the Gembrook Cockatoo defenders, nary allowed a free run at the ball and the chance to showcase his talents.
When attempting to show his tricks and aerial prowess, there was always multiple bodies to contend with and prevent a free jump at the footy.
He began to assert himself in the second quarter but three misses only built frustration for the boys in red and black, with one paying the ultimate penalty at the other end through Michael Firrito.
McGough nailed a second major from arguably the toughest opportunity of the term, working the angles to perfection from in front of the ever-popular barbecue, and Van Haren added a second in time-on as the Bombers took an eight-point lead into the long break.
Needing a response, the Brookers dominated the premiership quarter, sparked by the returning Matthew Frazzetto.
A mainstay in the senior side last season, Frazzetto was made to earn his spot in the seniors through consistent performances in the reserves in the first fortnight of 2024.
After a teammate kicked the opening goal of the quarter to cut the lead to two, Frazzetto nailed two in a minute to ensure momentum was draped in green and white.
The second, a one-on-one win and shot from distance on the run, ignited the crowd, along with his side, before Daniel Welsh made it four Brookers goals in nine minutes.
From struggling to convert in the opening half, the home side was firing on all cylinders, putting the Bombers on the back foot.
Like they did against Berwick Springs in round one, the switch was flicked, and for 15 minutes, ‘Spud’s side looked unstoppable.
The coach nailed his second of the game and the fifth of the quarter in the 17th minute for a game-high 23-point lead, with Emerald looking bereft of answers.
For a second consecutive week and fourth time in 2024, the Bombers went an entire quarter without a major, facing a 20-point deficit in the final change.
While not facing an insurmountable margin, the Brookers looked the far better side, and consistently cut off avenues for scoring on their wide deck.
Myles Wareham’s major to open the final term pushed the lead to 26, and the challenge was thrown to the visitors.
Derksen finally found his kicking boots fifteen minutes into the quarter and broke a near-hour long drought for the boys in red and black.
Johnson followed suit minutes later after a costly Gembrook Cockatoo turnover, and Derksen turned rover for his second as the game entered time-on, breathing life into a contest that looked to be petering out.
But as they had all afternoon, the Brookers won crucial contest after crucial contest and methodically worked their way though pressure situations with the game up for grabs.
Michael Firrito’s final goal was the nail in the coffin as his side notched an important third win, the 12-point lead enough to hold the visitors at bay.
Ultimately it was the burst at the beginning of the third term that swung the game, with Gembrook Cockatoo never looking back after snatching the advantage with Frazzetto’s first.
The challenge now, is to turn these bursts and periods of games, into longer stretches of ascendency.
“It’s interesting because I’m only three weeks in as coach and I’m still developing the way we want to play, so as much as we always want to have it on our own terms, there’s periods of games where you’re not in control and it’s about just limiting that amount of time and getting back on top,” Firrito said.
“When it’s a young group, sometimes it’s hard to do because you can get peaks and troughs in performance, but we’re trying to minimise our bad periods and trying to bring our best and worst closer together.
“As a coach you want to be able to be in control, flick that switch whenever you want and be in control for longer periods, but the reality is, it’s just momentum, ebbs and flows in games.
“It’s my job as a coach to try and control the game educate them as much as, when we can see that, when we can shut games down and when we can open games up.”
The midfield and defensive group were highlighted by Firrito as critical to bringing home the four points, with Michael’s nephew, Aaron Firrito awarded the Anzin/Licciardi Medal as the best player on the field.
“Around the ball, they were pretty good.
“I thought our young backs were super though, both the Bourne’s, Caleb Marshall, Ben Schultze, they were super.
“I think it was a really good effort, they had some dangerous forwards and we were able to nullify them.”
Emerald will take heart from the fourth quarter fight back but know there’s plenty of work to still be done.
Ben Willder’s rebounding from defence was a standout behind the ball, along with Sam Cannon, with McGough and Van Haren offering sparks up forward.
Missing Josh Rich and Adrian Russo, the midfield lacked the bigger bodies and class required for Premier Division football, but the 12-point margins shows they’re not far from a maiden win.
Emerald hosts Pakenham next week with Gembrook Cockatoo heading to Mt Evelyn to face the Rovers.
