The 89-year drought is over!
Men cried.
Women too.
Cheltenham president Adam King spilled a few tears and so did senior coach Des Ryan.
Little wonder they – and quite a few people around them – were unable to keep command of their emotions.
Their club had just won its first top-division premiership since 1934, defeating Cranbourne in enthralling circumstances at Linton St, Moorabbin on Saturday.
The Rosellas triumphed by three points, with a score line of 7.17 (59), shading Cranny’s 8.8 (56).
They had done their best to kick themselves out of it, regularly missing straightforward shots and leaving Ryan tossing his head back in exasperation as he watched from the boundary line.
It was easy to imagine him kicking a few behinds of his own after the match.
But in the final few minutes the Rosellas finally straightened up, slotting four goals in a brilliant burst to pinch the Southern league premiership in a season when they finished the home-and-away rounds at 17-1.
They had kicked three goals in the previous three quarters; 3.13, in fact.
As he left the ground, Cranny coach Steve O’Brien might have been tempted to drop into Moorabbin police station to report the brazen theft of a cup.
It was Cranbourne’s match. And then it wasn’t; the first time the Rosellas had the lead was at the 24-minute mark of the final quarter.
That Tom Davis goal for Chelt produced a roar that must have been something like the days when Tony Lockett was filling the square and St Kilda was playing league games at Linton St.
When the siren went, four or five Cheltenham players bunched on the wing on the grandstand side of the ground.
Quickly, supporters were running for them. Hundreds of people made a jubilant mass, chanting “Cheltenham’’.
“Did that really happen?’’ a supporter asked.
“You’ll never see that again!’’ came another voice.
“That was unbelievable!’’ shouted legendary local football media man Daryl Pitman.
Phones were whipped out for photos.
Ryan was at the heart of the throng, hugging his players and assistants, hugging his family and friends, hugging anyone who came near him.
“We just rolled the dice,’’ he said amid the hubbub.
“I didn’t feel that they had put us away at any stage. But they were playing better footy. We manned them up in the last quarter and got on top. We willed our way across the line. I can’t believe it. Look at this. Eighty-nine years of waiting. Eight years of making it. Two-and-a-half hours to take it.’’
Ryan played league football for Richmond and captained Frankston in the VFL.
But he said the premiership was his greatest achievement in the game.
Ryan joined Cheltenham eight years ago.
It hadn’t won a premiership since 1995, and that was in Division 2 of Southern.
In the years since it had stayed in Division 1, neither seriously challenging for a flag nor flirting with relegation.
They would appear in the finals here and there, then drop back to sixth or seventh. The highest rungs were beyond them.
But with a splash of young players, they gradually improved under Ryan, two years of 9-9 splits building into grand finals in 2019 and 2022.
They went into both games as favourites, only to encounter wet weather and fall to physically stronger sides, first Dingley and, last year, Cranbourne.
Conditions were pretty much perfect on Saturday and a lot of Southern followers thought they were made for Chelt’s formidable running game.
But at halftime they were 1.10.
Their kicking for goal was woeful.
“Our kicking for goal was putrid!’’ onballer Luke Verma said.
“But we got them when we needed them in the last five minutes. Still pinching myself about how we did it, to be honest. ’’
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Like Des Ryan, Colin Anderson was happy to hug anyone with Cheltenham leanings.
He’s been involved at Chelt since the 1960s, serving as president and secretary.
Two years ago he was added to the Southern league hall of fame to recognise his contribution to the club and competition.
“How good is football? How good is it? Eighty-nine years!’’ he said.
“This is just unbelievable, this feeling.’’
Peter Goodchild is another familiar figure at Cheltenham, a committeeman and triple premiership player.
He said the flag was “the best day of my life’’.
“I never thought we’d get there. We were nearly gone, and we came back from nowhere. And it was fantastic,’’ he said.
“Never seen anything like this. And I’ve never kissed so many men in my life!’’
After the celebration moved from the wing, to the presentation of the cup and then to the change rooms, King was still stunned at those final minutes.
His nerves jangled as he watched.
King quipped that supporters had paid $15 to get in and “we wanted to make sure they got their money’s worth’’.
“Look, we did it the hard way. But the players never gave in, kept hanging in there, hanging in there.
“Look at the emotion in here. It’s been bottled up for so long. We’ve been called chokers and everything because of last year and even in 2019. But we’ve put that to bed now. That was just guts and determination from our players.’’
King said Ryan’s contribution to the club had been “enormous’’.
The Rosellas made him a life member last year.
“Des Ryan has turned this club around. He’s improved the standards, the culture, the attitude, everything. He’s not just a footy coach. He’s a club coach,’’ King said.
Former Sandringham VFL player Dylan Weickhardt won the medal as best-afield, to go with his league best and fairest award.
He presumably shaded outstanding young wingman Ollie Moran, who kicked one of Chelt’s four goals in the final quarter.
“That last 10, 15 minutes, we just kept attacking,’’ was how Weickhardt saw the finish.
“We kicked a goal, we kicked another and all of a sudden it was three points the difference. Then we got the next one. Then the siren. It’s surreal actually. Can’t really believe it.’’
It was a first senior premiership for Weickhardt, as it was for his former Sandringham teammate Myke Cook, who played 14 AFL games for Adelaide.
“I’d take this win above anything I’ve done in footy,’’ Cook, 33, said.
“Great bunch of people in and around the club, and it’s special for them.’’
The Rosellas also won the reserves premiership and their first A-grade netball title.
After many years, it was finally their day.
PREMIERSHIP ROSELLAS
Luke Verma, Dylan Weickhardt, Ollie Moran, Josh Fox, Myke Cook, Jake Davis, Rex Kilburn, Declan McComb, Corey Boardman, Alecs McComb, Nick Waterstone, Daniel Vaughan, Daniel Rendell, Jack Worrell, Sam Hayes, Cameron Blitsas, Finn Ryan, Luke Garnaut, Jarryd Bloink, Sean Lai, Nick Burke, Tom Davis
