According to victorious coach Paul Lynch, Thomson’s belief and momentum from winning three knockout finals carried it to its first GDFNL premiership in six years.
After seeing off Bannockburn, Werribee Centrals, and East Geelong in successive weeks, any concerns around fatigue or similar were quickly put in the background, despite losing co-captain Sam Jacka to a knee injury in the first quarter.
“Last year, we played three finals, and I thought we were pretty banged up by the time we got there,” Lynch said.
“On the Tuesday night before last year’s grand final, we could hardly train.
“This year, we trained for an hour and a half.
“I definitely believe there’s a big thing in momentum, but you’ve got to make sure you’re not banged up and sore by the time you get there.”
Despite losing the coin toss and kicking into the strong southerly wind, Thomson conceded only one goal in the opening quarter.
The Tigers were able to stop the Lions from moving the ball with any fluency into their forward 50.
“The game was won and lost in the first quarter,” Lynch said.
“But, I felt all day we controlled the ball around stoppages. I thought our inside mids were dominant, and I thought Jordy (Camm) in the ruck dominated, too.
“The likes of (Zach) Plant, Logan Mitchell, and Trav McGuire just controlled the middle of the ground, and they were just too big and strong for them in the end.”
Key forward Darcy Troop kicked four goals and was named best on ground.
Lynch noted the energetic Troop’s discipline as a key to his performance.
“I said to him after the game, ‘That’s the best I’ve seen you harness that energy’,” Lynch said.
“I don’t think he gave away a free kick for the day.
“He was a huge focal point going forward; he finished with four goals and a dozen marks.
“Troopy was exceptional today.”
For Lynch, Thomson’s win further cements his legacy as one the best coaches the region has seen.
The Tigers’ victory follows success for the injury-prone former Geelong forward at GFNL clubs Lara and Colac and Colac and District club Birregurra.
Like Thomson, Colac won its flag after coming out of an elimination final.
“There was a lot of similarities to Colac, where we had a lot of injuries early (in the season),” Lynch said.
“At the end of today, we were still pretty fresh; we didn’t look like a side that had played four finals.”
X: @krockfootball
