Tigers go back to back after thrashing Roos in Grand Final

TORQUAY’S supremacy in the Bellarine Football League has been cemented, after claiming its 10^th premiership over Anglesea this afternoon (Saturday, September 7) in Leopold, 7.9 (51) to 16.17 (113).

The Tigers convincingly routed their Surf Coast neighbours by 62 points to go back-to-back for the first time as a club since 1987, driven by an early advantage that saw the Roos goalless in the opening term and a double-digit goal tally in the third quarter.

Torquay outkicked Anglesea four goals to none in the first quarter, with Charlie Ham, Clay Page, Chase Loftus and Jesse Dawson all hitting the scoreboard.

Anglesea finally found their mark 24 minutes into the second quarter, with former skipper and Anglesea utility Ash Caldwell kicking the only goal of the period.

The game was still up for grabs at half-time, with Anglesea, chasing its first flag in 25 years, trailing 11-30.

Torquay saved its best quarter of the season for the biggest stage, launching a barrage on the Roos with 10 goals in the third quarter, using the wind to its advantage and opening up a 77-point lead with 30 minutes to play.

The game was effectively over at that point, while Anglesea secured five consolation goals before the final siren to keep the score respectable.

Torquay head coach Dom Gleeson said this season’s group was a special one and had responded to multiple challenges, including key forward Lucas Anderson and first-option ruck Edward McCoy missing large portions of the season to injury.

“It’s special for a number of factors,” Gleeson said.

“It’s special because back-to-backs are hard to get to and we’ve now been to three Grand Finals in a row.

“We talk about our development as a club from our coaches through to our juniors and this result shows that we’ve covered those bases pretty well in 2024.

“A number of stories will come out of this year, that’s for sure.”

Loftus received given best-on-ground honours for his performance while nine different Tigers kicked goals.

Dawson was at his best, with the small forward kicking a bag of five, Page three and Ham two.

2024 Les Ash medallist Matthew Boag, Chase Loftus, first-year Tiger Luke Mahony, Baxter Mensch, Nathan Mifsud and Reef Page also made an impact.

Caldwell was the lone Roo with multiple goals, while vice captains Liam Holland and Lachlan Smith, Noah McGregor-Dawson and Simon Umbers kicked one goal each.

Torquay’s focus on Anglesea sharpshooter Dylan Pettingill paid off, limiting him to just one goal.

Co-captain James Darke said it was a surreal feeling to be back on the podium, after missing last year’s flag as a player due to an ACL injury.

The four-time league best and fairest missed the early portions of the year in rehab and broke his hand later in the year, putting his finals availability under threat.

“I’m absolutely over the moon,” Darke said.

“It’s a lot of hard work and it’s hard work from everyone, and I mean there were times I thought I wasn’t going to get back to this stage, but I managed to do it.

“I’m absolutely knackered after that, I was definitely feeling it with the match fitness, but it’s an unreal feeling at the moment.”

It was Torquay’s second flag for the day, with the Reserves defeating Geelong Amateur 13.5 (83) to 7.11 (53).