By Lance Jenkinson
The football Gods have finally shown mercy on Parkside and its persistent coach, Nathan Juegan.
The Magpies put four grand final losses in five years behind them to claim the Western Region Football League division 2 flag on Sunday.
The black-and-white streamers were being tied to the premiership cup long before the final siren as the Magpies romped to a 38-point win over neighbourhood rivals West Footscray Roosters at Chirnside Park in Werribee.
The margin somewhat flattered the Roosters, who were second best for all bar 20 minutes of a one-sided contest.
Juegan had spent more than a decade at Parkside and not won a premiership before Sunday. Nor did he salute at any stage earlier of his senior football career.
“I’d been playing footy for 26 years and never won one,” he said. “This place has been pretty cruel to me – I’ve lost six grand finals and finally got one in the seventh.
“Words can’t explain how I feel. It hasn’t sunk in, but when it does, I’ll certainly enjoy it.”
Parkside raced to a 47-point lead before West Footscray got its first major on the board.
But the Magpies had some cause for concern when they were two rotations down and the Roosters made a serious push in the second term.
The Roosters finished the half with four consecutive goals and booted the first of the third term to trim to margin back to three goals.
Most would have expected the Magpies to get the wobbles, but their leaders stood up.
Matthew Pearce took control of the game through his calmness under pressure.
Mo Khartabil was a man on a mission, offering up multiple leads.
The power forward finished with two goals, but also kicked six behinds, robbing him of any chance of saluting for the Rex Swann Medal.
It was an emotional day for the man Parkside fans affectionately know as “Big Mo”.
“He had a personal loss six weeks ago where he lost his father and that really hurt him,” Juegan said.
“But the way he has responded has been huge and the boys rallied around him.
“For a big fella, he provided a lot of pressure at ground level and his second and third efforts were enormous. He’s a grouse character. I love the bloke, he’s been so loyal to our footy club.”
The Swann Medal went to Adrian Gervasi and no one could dispute the umpires’ assessment. It was a fairytale finish to a great career for Gervasi.
Dyson Stevens was the Magpies main link across half-forward. At the other end, Aaron McHutchinson barely put a foot wrong.
For the Magpies to stave off a charging Roosters with a depleted bench was always going to take more than just the aforementioned individuals to get the job done.
“It was the team’s willingness to keep going,” Juegan said. “There was a lot of character, a lot of will to win. I’m proud of the group.”
The Magpies won 14 premierships in division 1, spanning from 1931 to 2003, but have not won one in 11 years.
They will get that chance in 2015 after Juegan kept his promise to the Magpie Army.
“I promised the footy club that we’d get the club back to A grade and would make sure
we built a strong enough list to get there,” he said.
