THEY were the best side all season and on Sunday Olympians inscribed their name on the Tamworth first grade champions’ trophy for the first time in 27 years.
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The last time they won the premiership spoils was in 1987.
On Sunday they finally broke the title drought with a 4-2 win over Waratahs.
It was the same scoreline as their major semi-final two weeks ago but a contrasting game.
Then, they had a brilliant first half and were up 3-nil at half-time.
Again they came out strongly but couldn’t crack the Waratahs defence until right on half-time.
“We probably didn’t take some chances,” coach Andrew Farmilo said.
“But I thought they (Waratahs) played really well. They kept hounding us and hounding us.”
They made it easier for them by running the ball too one-out and not playing to their structure.
“As soon as we shifted the ball again we created chance after chance,” Farmilo said.
“Then we’d resort to running again.”
He said it was good to get that goal right on half-time but felt their second was the more important.
It came virtually within 30 seconds of Waratahs scoring to level.
“That really lifted us for a while and we got another one and made it 3-1,” Farmilo said.
“And we played some really good hockey.”
Again though, he felt they probably dropped off a bit and Waratahs pounced.
They pulled it back to 3-2 with just over 10 minutes to go with Brittany King showing great stick work to work the ball from the right of the circle to the centre.
She them smacked it from the top on the reverse.
But as they did earlier, Olympians went straight back up the other end and scored, Dana Constable putting away her second.
She showed good poise and skill to execute a low tomahawk after the corner play hadn’t come off as planned.
Farmilo acknowledged that was important – that they scored quickly every time Waratahs scored.
He said Tegan Resch was great for them defensively.
Constable and Alice Arnott also had strong games while Jemima Bartlett was clever with her ball distribution.
The victory was especially sweet for Constable and Georgia Cooper’s mothers.
The two Vickis were part of the 1987 side.
Waratahs coach Greg Doolan knew they had their work cut out for them heading into the game and, while they held Olympians out until the final seconds of the first half, he felt like they were always chasing the game.
“We were chasing the game for nearly the full 70 minutes,” he said.
“In the first half we really struggled to get some potency going forward.”
They found it hard coming out of defence, but scrambled well.
He agreed with Farmilo’s assertion that the second goal was the turning point.
“That was harder to take,” he said.
“And every time we got ourselves back in the game, even at 3-2, we dropped off and let them back in.”
Between Olympians’ second and third goals they also lost Katrina Rekunow which was a blow.
“It was really disappointing.
“We defended so well and then we had some bad lapses and it cost us,” he said.
He thought King was outstanding. Mel Courtney and Jess Thomas were also good.
Courtney was one of their most consistent and finished runner-up to Flames’ Kate Ferguson for the first grade best and fairest.
Ferguson polled 21 points, Courtney 19 and Resch 17.