Carlton’s Michael Archer and Andrew Poppa were part of a First XI reverse outright grand final victory — which last happened 70 years ago — on Sunday after a miraculous comeback win against Casey South Melbourne.
The match was a three-day final held from Friday-Sunday at Windy Hill in Essendon.
After dismissing Casey South Melbourne for 212 in the first innings, Carlton fell short of the target by 41 runs after being bowled out for 171.
This gave the Swans a first-innings victory with a day and a half’s play left to hold on.
The Swans’ second innings was led by Victorian prodigy and man-of-the-match Ashley Chandrasinghe, who scored an unbeaten 103 after carrying his bat through the second dig.
At tea on day three, Casey South Melbourne sat comfortably on 8-209 with a lead of 250 and 39 overs remaining in the match.
All looked lost for the Blues as they came out of the sheds for the last time this season before Tatura’s Archer took the game by the scruff of the neck in the first over, with the leg-spinner claiming the last two wickets.
“It was just throw caution to the wind,” Archer said.
“It was funny. We were going to warm up heading out there for the last session and I was bowling medium-pace and one of the other boys was bowling left-handed and our assistant coach, Bruce Waldron, was just like, ‘Do you boys think this is f**ken over, do you?’
“And we went ‘Nah, nah we are good, we will go out there and have a crack’ and that’s what we did.
“We just went, ‘We have got 39 overs left in our season. Let’s not let this opportunity go to waste, and let’s enjoy each other’s company,’ and luckily, I just slid a few past the inside edge, and we were away.”
Archer took five wickets for the match, taking his First XI tally to 37 for the season and third-most overall in the league — an incredible return for the 27-year-old’s first season as a Blue.
The crafty spin-king was impressed with the way in which the side responded after how devastated each player was following their first innings defeat on day two.
“It was incredible,” he said.
“It was pretty emotional after day two thinking that we had just squandered a pretty golden opportunity and then last night we full (180) it. So there were some different tears to what there were the night before that’s for sure.
“With our group, we have a pretty strong belief, so we just knew if we fronted up and played our best cricket the next day-and-a-half, we would be a sniff.
“It’s definitely nice to know that you have played a role. But I have been at either end of the spectrum with team success and I always play cricket to win, and to be in a team that has won a premiership is pretty amazing.”
Poppa was the other Goulburn Valley product playing for the Blues on grand final day.
The middle-order batter came into the Blues’ First XI side for the final six matches of the year after a strong season in the Second XI.
The Karramomus product scored nine in his sole innings for the match, but finished the season with an average of 30.67 across six First XI innings.
Archer will soon head off to England to play a season in the third division of the Nottingham Premier Cricket League for Farnsfield Cricket Club.
The talented bowler plans to enjoy his time overseas, but Archer said he would be fit and raring to go at the start of next season at Carlton.
“I’ll be back for next season,” he said.
“I wouldn’t miss it.”
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