When asked to describe his emotions after the MPFNL Division 2 preliminary final victory over Pearcedale in one word, “proud” came to mind for Devon Meadows coach Ryan Hendy.
The Panthers have already made history, making the grand final for the first time in 28 long years – just their second time reaching the big stage since the club was first established in 1977.
They will have the chance to rewrite history once more and turn their incredible 2025 season into the club’s first-ever senior premiership when they take on Frankston Bombers at Kinetic Stadium this Saturday.
But they know the job isn’t finished.
“It’s great getting to a grand final but it kind of means nothing if you don’t win them in my opinion,” Hendy said.
“But I am so proud of the boys and their efforts, they deserve to be playing this week and I hope they can get the ultimate success, because they deserve it.”
“It’s very pleasing to see everyone who has put a lot into the club over the years get a bit of reward for that.”
Frankston Bombers have been the benchmark team of the competition all year and have beaten Devon Meadows on both occasions, by 39 points in round 7 and 11 points in the semi-final.
How did the Panthers get here? One short victory away from the biggest moment in the club’s history.
Rewind seven weeks ago, Panthers’ clutch young gun Jack Wilson is going back for a kick after the siren to win the game against Seaford – he was ice cold and slotted it.
Wilson and Hendy both spoke about how much the win meant in the context of the season, but nobody knew it would mean this much.
“If we don’t kick that goal, then we aren’t playing this week … it has been a rollercoaster ride,” he said.
It wasn’t just that game, it was the final five games of the home and away season which propelled them into finals contention – winning four of those by under two goals.
Wins against Chelsea and Pearcedale in the final two games meant that they made finals by percentage, even getting the double chance – now the Panthers are on the verge of achieving greatness.
“We’ve fed off the vibe and energy of it and I think we have gotten better every week,” Hendy said.
Despite losing to Frankston Bombers by 11 points a fortnight ago, the match gave the team plenty of optimism that they can upset the premiership favourites.
“The belief we took out of that game was probably more belief than we have taken out of any of our wins, as funny as that may seem,” Hendy said.
“We went away and did reviews on that game, we felt like there were some areas we can improve and we missed some opportunities.
“Going into this week, we will be a lot better prepared to throw a few different things at them.”
Devon Meadows ruck Arnold Kirby is coming off a dominant performance against Pearcedale and was looking forward to the challenge against Frankston’s Harry Prior, who is expected to return from a knee injury.
“He said to me after the game that he can’t wait for this week to get a go at Harry Prior, he definitely wants him to play,” Hendy said.
“A fair few people were saying that if Prior plays, it is Frankston’s game to lose, and big Arnold has taken that a bit personally.”
Despite a bruised heel which clearly caused James Frawley some great discomfort last week, he still managed four goals and will play in the grand final.
It is yet to be seen how the team will shape up after second ruck Riley Simmons missed last week’s clash with a knock on his previously fractured leg.
“He isn’t completely over the line yet (to play) because we were pretty impressed with the side we put out on the weekend,” Hendy said.
“So, whether we decide to go down the path with two rucks or not, we are still undecided.”
Frankston Bombers’ captain Khan Haretuku will be a big presence and likely have a huge say on the outcome of the game.
The big man had 27 disposals, 56 hitouts and 11 marks when the teams met a few weeks ago, and was probably the difference between winning or losing.
The match will kick off from 2.30pm at Kinetic Stadium in Frankston, can the Panthers make history? Only time will tell.
