Footscray came like a bolt from the blue to claim its first-ever Lacrosse Victoria men’s state league title.
The Scray was not on the premiership radar at the mid-point of the season and arrived at the finals as the underdog among the four surviving teams.
The Cinderella story was completed on Saturday when the Scray put years of on-field hardship behind it to upset Surrey Park 10-7 in the grand final at Lakeside Stadium.
Tim Lane, the 25-year-old co-captain who has been involved with the Scray since his early teenage years, was asked if he had ever envisaged the day the Scray would become champions of Victorian lacrosse.
“Nah, nah, nah,” he said.
“It hasn’t really sunk in yet.”
The Scray players did it for themselves and the ones who had gone before them, those who kept the club alive when they were regularly on the receiving end of lopsided defeats.
“In the back of my mind were all the people who have played at the club and brought it to what it is now,” Lane said.
“There were people at the celebrations who played when they used to get beaten in state league by 30 goals every week. It feels fantastic to do it for them, too.”
The final was up for grabs well into the second half.
The turning point came on the back of third-quarter brilliance from Jeffrey Melsopp.
Melsopp, one of the sternest defenders on the day, had a stick in two crucial goals.
“One of them got us even and the other put us back in front,” Lane said. “It was pretty much a game changer.”
Peter Kwas, a 15-year-old wunderkind, underlined his status as one of the most promising youngsters in the league.
Kwas fired two goals past one of the best goalkeepers in the competition, Chris Tillotson.
“He’s just got a nous for the game and he loves it more than anyone,” Lane said. “But he really doesn’t look out of place playing with adults.”
Danny Blau, Sage D’Costa and James Lawerson scored two goals apiece.
The grand final MVP went to Scray goalkeeper Callan Ahrens, who made a number of crucial saves.
The Scray men and women won state league premierships on the same day. The under-18 women made it a Scray trifecta.
“It’s phenomenal that our sides won on the same day and the under-18s as well,” Lane said. “We’re the first amalgamated club to have won grand finals on the same day, so it’s pretty special.”
The Scray men’s side featured two Australian squad members: co-captain Chris Plumb and Lawerson.
Lane is adamant that with youngsters such as Kwas, D’Costa and Joel Fanner, the Scray won’t be one-season wonders.
“They’re going to be around for a long time and that will hold us in good stead,” he said.
