One side had to come second best in Saturday’s Kyabram District League grand final, and unfortunately for Dwain Vidler, that side was his.
Shepparton East’s 47-point loss to Murchison-Toolamba was a kick in the teeth for Vidler, whose past three years upon return to the Eagles had built up to that very day at Mooroopna.
It was not to be.
Vidler was rightly crestfallen when the dust settled, and though it probably felt far from liberation at the time, the veteran footballer accepted the fact his charges were not quite there against the Hoppers.
“I’m just disappointed, we got beaten by a better side on the day,” he said.
“They came about the hard way and they were probably a bit fresher early on.
“We probably just didn't execute as best we could have in the grand final and if you don't do that, you're up against it.”
Despite the seven goal winning margin, Shepparton East was right in the race at half time.
The scores stood at 28-22, and there was no suggestion that the Hoppers would run away with it.
Apart from one factor - wind.
A howling, swirling gust picked up in the third term, and with Murchison-Toolamba utilising it at the clear scoring end, its 4.7 effort in comparison to East’s 0.3 quarter was ultimately the difference at the death.
“That third quarter when they had that bit of a breeze and we were trying to hold them up,” Vidler said.
“We just left ourselves with too much to do and had to roll the dice in the last quarter. And when you do that, you risk getting scored on the other side.
“I think they might have got five goals from free kicks throughout the day, which obviously doesn’t help.
“I thought it was a real arm wrestle in the first half, and they just played better footy in the second as the scoreboard shows.”
So, what’s next for Vidler and Shepparton East?
He reflected on the season and ended with the notion that cohesion is key for the Eagles as they dust themselves off and prepare to go again in 2025.
“If you had said to us at the start of the year that we’d make a grand final, I think most teams would take it,” Vidler said.
“But all in all, it’s one effort to get here and another effort to be able to perform when you do.
“So, we'll stick together and hopefully be back here in the near future, I guess.”
