CHFL grand final preview | The Courier | September 11, 2024 - video Dailymotion

The Courier

The Courier's David Brehaut sits down with Bungaree coach Ryan Waight and Daylesford coach Hamish Jarrad before Saturday's Central Highlands Football League grand final.

Transcript

00:00Well, the grand final is just upon us. We've got the opposing coaches Ryan Waite and Hamish Gerrard with us.

00:06Great to have you guys along. Just a few days to go.

00:11Ryan, what's your thoughts as we get close to the big day?

00:16Thoughts? Well, yeah, a fair bit of feedback this week. I think this week's just been busier.

00:22I think just with, you know, logistics and phone calls and so forth.

00:25So, just got to take care of that in the first half of the week and this is part of it.

00:29Obviously, turn our attention to the big game.

00:31Hamish, you've come down early this week from Casterdon, made the long trek.

00:36But, as Ryan said, it's a week with a difference and yet wouldn't have it any other way than doing some extra things

00:43because that means you're still involved.

00:45Yeah, that's right. So, you know, early in the week, as Ryan said, there's a fair bit to work through.

00:50You know, put everything in place quickly and get all that done now,

00:52either quickly and get focused on the game ahead on Saturday.

00:55So, looking forward to it and it should be a good day.

00:58Look, I think weather's going to be a big issue.

01:00We've seen it right through the final series. It's hardly been a day where there hasn't been a decent sort of wind

01:05and we've had rain and just about everything.

01:08The forecast for Saturday is pretty cool, breezy, as the Mars Stadium always is.

01:14So, I guess there's really going to be no surprises there, Hamish,

01:18because particularly coming off Sunday's game at Bungaree, you'd be ready for anything weather-wise.

01:23Yeah, I think this might actually be calm compared to Sunday.

01:26So, yeah, forecast, I think it's 20 to 30 k's, which out here is probably not too bad with the big ovals.

01:32So, you know, I think last time we played Bungaree during the year, it was probably the first real wet day we got.

01:39So, you know, we probably didn't get a real chance to have a good look at each other, to be honest.

01:44So, you know, there's a, it'll basically be a fresh battle on Saturday out here on the big ground.

01:49So, yeah.

01:50Ryan, how do you prepare when there's a little bit of the unknown factor about weather conditions?

01:55Because, as we've seen in finals already, they can be telling.

01:58Well, I think, you know, you look at all that games and same with Dallas, I think it's been windy.

02:03I mean, we played a little bit different and I know we haven't had a wet day.

02:07I don't think it's going to be too wet Saturday, but, yeah, I mean, we played in that game,

02:11in that semi-final, which was blowing the wind in.

02:14It looks like it will sort of fade the wind in as well.

02:17So, yeah, you train it. I think there's a bit of wind around tomorrow night.

02:20So, yeah, that's handy.

02:22Yeah, you can train a few scenarios and a few things.

02:24But, yeah, geez, I can't remember a final series like it.

02:29You know, you only get one windy day, but I think every Saturday or Sunday, hasn't it?

02:32It's just been blowing a gutter.

02:34So, yeah, just another element to it.

02:36And there's nothing like playing a grand final at this venue.

02:40AFL standard ground, I'm sure, that gets all the players up and about

02:45because it's something different for the competition.

02:47It's not a ground that you're playing any home in a way on.

02:50And it's a big ground, and it's a ground that you can easily create a lot of space in.

02:56How do you plan for that, Ryan?

02:58It's probably no one's more excited than my kids.

03:01When I told them I'm playing here, they couldn't believe it.

03:03They'd only just got over it.

03:04So, no, it's obviously exciting.

03:06You want to play on the best facility in the biggest game.

03:09So, yeah, Bungaree's quite a sizable oval anyway.

03:13Similar sort of surface.

03:15Obviously, Dales have played at Bungaree last week,

03:17so this won't hold any fears for them.

03:19But, you know, taking into account the weather conditions, the big ground,

03:24obviously we'll come with a plan.

03:25No doubt Dales will as well, and we'll see how we go.

03:28How do you approach it?

03:29Because a lot of the game plan for Dales, and it's no secret,

03:33is around the contest stoppages.

03:36And you try to, you know, close the ground down,

03:39make it as small as you can in football talk.

03:43How do you achieve that out there?

03:45Yeah, well, you know, obviously you have your core systems in place,

03:48but you have to adapt depending on the opposition and the oval

03:51and the conditions, et cetera.

03:53So, you know, I think we do have a few different methods in how we play.

03:56I don't think we're sort of pigeonholed to one certain specific style of footy.

04:01But, you know, everyone knows, and, you know, there's no science in coaching

04:05that on big ovals where there's lots of space against good sides,

04:08the outside layers are the key.

04:10So if the outside layers fall down, you know, you can get exposed

04:13and the outside layers hold up.

04:15You know, you can put yourself in position to try and dictate from there.

04:18All right, Ryan, last word.

04:22Tell us about the meaning of making the grand final to Bungaree,

04:26the football club, the community out there.

04:28Yeah, like any community town, you know,

04:31the footy club's the heart and soul of any small town.

04:34And Bungaree's no different.

04:36You have people reaching out, past players, past community members,

04:40past presidents reaching out this week.

04:42You've got that extra phone calls and messages you do receive during the week.

04:46So, yeah, it means a great deal.

04:48It means a great deal for the club.

04:49And obviously, myself being a bit of an outsider,

04:51you probably don't truly understand what it means

04:54until you start to hear back from those people

04:56who've been around the club and the community for a long time.

04:59So, yeah, well, hopefully we can get a good crowd here Saturday

05:04on both sides and put on a good show.

05:07Amy, you've been at Dales for a few years now,

05:11and when you arrived, things were pretty tough.

05:15You've led them out of that period,

05:18and now you're one step away from the flag.

05:22Having experienced many of the lows in recent years out at Daleswood,

05:28I'm sure the Daleswood Football Club and those people have worked hard

05:31to keep that club going in difficult circumstances.

05:34They must be just pinching themselves at the moment.

05:37Yeah, absolutely.

05:38So it's no shock that we've struggled for six, seven, eight years now

05:44as a footy club as a whole,

05:45and a lot of people have put in a lot of work in the background

05:48to enable us across all levels of the club,

05:50through our junior grades and netball and senior football,

05:53to get to a point where it's competitive again

05:55and in the position to compete in games like we're in on Saturday.

05:58And to see them people get the reward,

06:00obviously the senior football team, we get all the accolades,

06:03but the A-grade netball and the under-18 football,

06:05they mean just as much to the club as us.

06:07So to see all that come together for people who've done all that work,

06:11it's exciting for the community,

06:12and they're all coming out of the woodwork now, which is exciting.

06:15And as Ryan said,

06:16hopefully we get a big crowd here from both sides on Saturday

06:19and put on a good show.

06:20All I can say is good luck to both of you and your teams,

06:23and I suppose it's an easy thing to say,

06:26may the best team win.

06:28So, cheers.

06:33UNIVERSITY OF MEXICO

CHFL grand final preview | The Courier | September 11, 2024

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