STAR midfielder Brett Bewley says Darley has embraced being the hunted this season.<\/p>\n
As he prepares for another crack at a BFNL grand final, the two-time Henderson Medal winner said it was the Devils’ resilience and appetite for the contest that had put them on the brink of a second flag in three years.<\/p>\n
They will look to cap a thoroughly dominant 2025 season with a premiership win over Sunbury on Saturday.<\/p>\n
The Devils’ inspirational leader could not be prouder with the way his teammates have risen to every challenge this season and coped with being the hunted.<\/p>\n
“We love it. Sides want to play well against us, but that’s what it’s all about,” Bewley said.<\/p>\n
“We love being tested and we think that makes us a better team.<\/p>\n
“(Against Sunbury in the second semi-final) there were a few nerves and a few young boys that haven’t experienced a lot of senior finals.<\/p>\n
“But once we settled the nerves, the young boys realised it was just another game, but the stakes are a bit higher.<\/p>\n
“It was up to us senior boys to take control and wrestle momentum back.”<\/p>\n
On the back of a dominant season that has yielded 19 straight wins (17 home and away and two finals), Bewley \u2013 a former Darley junior – said there was a certain amount of relief attached to making it through to the premiership decider.<\/p>\n
“We were in a similar situation in ’23 and last year we came into the second semi as an underdog, so to speak,” he said.<\/p>\n
“We were flying and this year we came in as the favourite, being the winner of the 1v2 clash.<\/p>\n
“It’s just relief that we have given ourselves a chance to win it.”<\/p>\n
Of the aforementioned younger brigade with little senior finals exposure, Bewley pinpointed Mitch Gardiner as rock solid down back against Sunbury a fortnight ago, and Jack Crawford and Brodie Ward as mature and influential in the victory.<\/p>\n
Their contributions sat comfortably alongside the like of five-goal forward Will Johnson, midfielders Luther Baker and Nick Hind, and 2023 premiership hero Billy Myers in defence on Lions livewire Jake Sutton.<\/p>\n
“You could have made a case for anyone in our side \u2013 you don’t win finals with one or two blokes, it’s a collective effort,” Bewley said.<\/p>\n
“It’s going to take that and a bit more on grand final day.<\/p>\n
“We know we are going to have our work cut out for us. We’re not sitting back and smoking a peace pipe.<\/p>\n
“We’re ready to go again.”<\/p>\n
Asked what another grand final meant to him personally, Bewley, who played 25 games for Fremantle across three seasons from 2019-21, insisted ‘it means everything’.<\/p>\n
“That’s why you play,” he said.<\/p>\n
“We were lucky enough to salute in ’23, and we’ve given ourselves a shot to do it again.<\/p>\n
“But the hard work starts again.”<\/p>\n
Sunbury earned a crack at Darley with a 14-point win over Melton in last Saturday’s preliminary final.<\/p>\n
It was the second year in a row the preliminary final has been decided in extra time, with Darley on the losing end in 2024 by seven points against East Point.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
STAR midfielder Brett Bewley says Darley has embraced being the hunted this season. As he prepares for another crack at a BFNL grand final, the two-time Henderson Medal winner said it was the Devils’ resilience and appetite for the contest that had put them on the brink of a second flag in three years. They […]<\/p>\n