Sharks kings of the competition again

THE South Coast Sharks have tasted ultimate success once again, winning back-to-back in the AFL Masters Victoria Country tournament.

The Sharks defeated the Murray Crays by 48 points in the Grand Final of the state competition in the Goulburn Valley late last month.

Led by Luke Vassallo, the team of more than 28 players excelled both on and off the field, showcasing plenty of mateship and camaraderie on their way to victory.

“It was just epic to go up there and go back-to-back. What a real buzz.

“All the other teams up there rallied 15 or so players. No one really had a bench, but we were just there with a power and real force.

“We didn’t really know what we were going to get with the lightning premiership structure in terms of opponents, but usually you get the best two teams meeting in the Grand Final.

“Luckily, we got on the end of a few and got over the line at the end.”

Mr Vassello said the team received a boost with the recruitment of Sam Sheedy, the son of AFL legend Kevin Sheedy.

“His dad had never seen him play a senior game, so it was phenomenal to have a father-son reconnect in a community environment.

“They shared a magic moment, and Sam ended up with a premiership medallion around his neck.”

The Torquay local said the hope was to secure some financial support from the AFL to assist with an AFL Masters program roll out across the state.

“We are the age groups who are basically feeding the AFL system with our kids, and unfortunately at this stage, they don’t support our cohort.

“There’s 14,000 or something registered players in Masters – it’s a very important demographic.

“Masters offers an outlet for community and somewhere to go and build friendships… that’s the real buzz for us.”