Williamstown CYMS has broken new ground with promotion to the Victorian Amateur Football Association’s premier divisions for the first time in club history.
The CYs achieved what some considered an unlikely result in becoming the first side to topple minor premiers Therry Penola this season, when they ran out six-goal winners in the second semi-final at Bill Lawry Oval on Saturday.
CYs are the first side through to the grand final and will have the benefit of a week’s rest.
They were automatic promoted to Premier C as a result of reaching the grand final.
“It was a big day for the club to earn promotion to the premier divisions for the first time,” CYs coach Mathew Montebello told Star Weekly.
“You look at the Premier A and B divisions, there’s only two district clubs between the two divisions, clubs that aren’t associated with big private schools of any sort.
“Premier C is where a lot of the district clubs battle it out for the chance to go up that little bit higher, so it’s a really big thing for the footy club and has been a goal for the last couple of years to get up there.
“The boys wanted to be a part of that and create a little bit of club history.”
CYs have one more mission to accomplish, get promoted as premiers of division 1.
They will meet the winner of Saturday’s preliminary final between Therry Penola and Old Geelong in the season decider on the weekend of September 13.
Montebello has urged his players to keep their eyes firmly fixed on the big prize.
“The boys are certainly excited about promotion, but they’re good at keeping a lid on it because we want to walk away with the silverware at the end of the season,” he said.
“Promotion was for the club, now they’ve got to win the flag for themselves because it’s premiership teammates that you remember for years to come.”
The CYs were never headed at any change against Therry, setting the tone with a five-goals-to-one opening term and extending the lead at every interval.
Inspirational captain Ben Gray led from the front for CYs, but took a hungry host of youngsters, including Ash Heaver, Robert Chan, Joel Hogarth and Ryan Joy, along for the ride.
“That was the big thing, these young kids aged 19, 20 and 21, they were the ones that really stepped up,” Montebello said.
“We were led by an inspirational performance by our skipper Ben Gray and our kids just followed on.
“That’s what the really exciting part is because sometimes kids, when it gets to the really big stage, they fall over a bit, but they didn’t do that.
“These kids can just run all day.”
Ryan Danaher’s purple patch of form showed no signs of abating, collecting best-on-ground honours for his work in defence.
Danaher’s impact at the back end for CYs is two-fold.
“He has the ability to out-mark a forward and that’s really important because it means we not only get a stop in the backline, but we actually get possession and be able to use it and run and go again,” Montebello said.
Jack Gray and Matthew John put the game out of reach of the Lions with four goals apiece.
In the division 1 reserves, Williamstown CYMS will have to take the indirect route to the big dance after losing to Therry Penola by 30 points in the second semi-final at Bill Lawry Oval.
CYs will square off with Prahran Assumption in the preliminary final on Saturday.
