So Close!  

It is hard not to wonder what could have been after falling agonisingly close on Grand Final Day eventually going down to OHA by 7 points in a gutsy and determined performance by the Saints.  Vying for our first Senior flag in 20 years, we started the game well and held a 13 point lead at quarter time. OHA though really adapted to the conditions and they outplayed us in the end. We’d like to congratulate OHA on their win as they have certainly been the team to beat over the past couple of seasons.

Regarding the publicised incident involving Jaye during the 2nd quarter, we are currently exploring all of our options and working with relevant stakeholders in assessing the most appropriate and just course of action. All feedback and enquiries can be directed to svosfc@gmail.com 

We are of course disappointed with the Grand Final result, but certainly not disillusioned. When we sat down with Jaye & Coet back in 2020, we all had a clear goal that we were determined to work towards together; make the Saints competitive. What Jaye, our coaching group and our playing list have been able to achieve in just nine months is no small feat. We went from a club with three Senior wins in five years to Minor Premiers and Grand Finalists. Although we were fortunate enough to be joined by a raft of quality Senior players, this new group still had to gel and there were still games that needed to be won.

The resurgence of the Saints speaks to the quality of the people involved across the club. We not only had the pleasure of witnessing some of our new recruits ‘Don the V’ and bring a sense of excitement back to the Saints, but we were also able to watch some of our loyal and long-standing stalwarts finally taste some success and witness some positive growth.

So if we look at our initial goal of ‘make the Saints competitive’, it’s hard to argue that it hasn’t been achieved. But from the achievement of this goal, every other facet of our club has grown in 2021. Supporters are back at the footy, a record number of jumper sponsorships and a tangible buzz around the club are just some of the benefits that have come from a simple goal of ‘make the Saints competitive’.

Don’t get us wrong, the loss of a grand final stings and after giving ourselves the chance for Premiership glory, we were desperate to walk away with the win. But you can guarantee that a fire has been lit in the bellies of all involved at the club. Coming so close to the pinnacle and falling agonisingly short most definitely hurts us, but it also most definitely motivates us. Everything remains in place at the club for us to take the next step in 2022 and we’ll be working incredibly hard to ensure we give ourselves another opportunity.

Our Girls' team have also qualified for the Grand Final and we wish them well this weekend as they take on old foe Hutchins. 

To all of our Saints fans and our wider Saints community, thank you for sticking it out with us and for riding through some pretty dark days. We’re incredibly fortunate to have an amazing network of officials, volunteers, support staff and club supporters who we’d like to thank for their loyalty and generosity.

2021 is just the beginning for the #Saints. Game on!

Joel Berry

SVOSFC President