Roos re-build early 90s, in lead-up to ’96 grand final ????

After a re-building decade in the 1980s, Kangaroo Flat became a real BFNL power in the early 1990s.

Footy finalists in 1990, 1992 and 1995 the Roos went on to score a memorable one-goal win over Kyneton in the thrilling 1996 Big Dance.

The netballers, too, made finals regularly.

They were preliminary finalists in ’92 and elimination finalists in three, consecutive seasons: 1993, 1994 and 1995.

The first season I’ll look at in the run-up to the 1996 footy flag is the first in the Nineties: 1990, in fact.

The Flat finished the season with a 12-6 win-loss record, then won the elimination final to reach the first semi.

Coach John Kaladis was on the back foot early in the season following a 48-point loss to Northern United and another defeat, this time to Sandhurst.

After the loss to the Dragons the players and Kaladis held a meeting in the change rooms straight after the final siren.

The coach wasn’t panicking, however.

“It’s more of a concern if we were playing at our best and couldn’t win, but when you are down and you know you can do better, it gives us hope,” he said later that evening.

Robert Herbert stepped up for the Castlemaine match and the Roos responded to his leadership to belt the Magpies by 89 points.

Tony Benham booted six goals with the Roos capitalising on their return to form by thumping Eaglehawk at Canterbury Park in Rd. 5.

Costly losses to South and Square then followed with the outstanding form of Dean Strauch and Russell Parkes leading the Dogs to victory.

Kangaroo Flat did boot 6.3 in a great third term with Jamie Barkmeyer on top in the front half and Robert Herbert the key player in the Roo defence.

But then the Bulldogs steadied in the final quarter to snatch the win by 19 points.

Not long afterwards the Flat played one of the games of their lives: not just for the 1990s but for the past two or three decades.

They faced the undefeated ladder leaders South Bendigo at Dower Park and in front of a fired-up and passionate home crowd the Roos downed the Bloods by 24 points.

Key defender Herbert was BOG as he and fellow Roo defenders shut down the much-vaunted Bloods attack while up forward Jamie Barkmeyer and Andrew O’Rourke beat their opponents comfortably.

On they went in 1990 the Flat boys and finished fourth with, as I’ve pointed out, a 12-6 record.

Ruckman Graeme Willox led Kangaroo Flat in the elimination final to record a 55-point victory over the Maine, but Golden Square was too good in the first semi-final banging home 8.3 in the final term to win by 22 points.

Kangaroo Flat finished out of the finals in 1991 and 1993 with sixth-placed finishes, recording 11 wins and 8 losses in both seasons.

Cath Wicks (nee Phillips) won the club netball fairest and best in ’91 while Lani-Jo Bryers won not only the club award in ’93 but also the BFNL A grade medal (which ultimately became the Betty Thompson Medal) as well.

It was a big year for the club with Ron Wicks winning the BFNL’s Michelsen medal as well.

For the footballers, in between moderate seasons in 1991 and 1993, they finished up as finalists in 1992 with an 11-9 win-loss record.

Maryborough was back in BFNL ranks after a five-decade absence in 1992 with the Roos under new footy coach Brian Teasdale.

Unfortunately for club legend Ron Wicks his 150th club game didn’t turn out well as the Flat tumbled to a 139-point belting from Castlemaine.

The netballers reached the preliminary final after downing the Hurst 53-23 in the first semi-final, but with Nina Kulbars in brilliant shooting form Golden Square won the preliminary final 57-42.

The Roos started out in great style as the 1994 season opened.

They massacred a below-standard Eaglehawk by 151 points and landed 29 goals from 44 scoring shots.

‘Hollywood’ Dave Lancaster and Scott Tully both nailed half-a-dozen majors while Chris Treloar chipped in with five.

The Flat followed up with another thumping victory, this time over Northern United in Rd. 2.

This time Lancaster and Tully upped the ante, slicing home eight majors apiece, with Ronnie Wicks dominating in midfield and Ash Wilson in top form.

Nonetheless half-back Chris Harrington was adjudged best afield for his relentless re-bounding skills.

But then followed a 116-point belting from Maryborough and further losses to Kyneton and South. In between, though, the Roos led all day against the Square ---- 44 points at quarter time and 45 points at the final change.

And despite a last quarter surge by the Bulldogs with the margin slashed to 11 points Lancaster coolly slotted an important major to hand the Flat an historic 16-point victory.

With the season slowly slipping away the Roos had one last gasp. They beat fifth-placed Sandhurst and restricted Eaglehawk to just 1.11 (17) for a second victory.

Square made amends for the early season defeat with a 96-point demolition of the Flat in Rd. 15, before Kyneton put paid to the ’94 finals aspirations with an eight-point win over Kangaroo Flat.

The Roos suffered serious injury problems in that match with Lancaster (broken ankle) and ruck-rover Chris Hickman (broken wrist) off the park before half-time.

They finished 1994 on 9 wins, 9 losses with a 98-point wipe-out of North Bendigo in the final round.

Kangaroo Flat had continued their improvement under coach Robert Ross, but the younger players still needed to step up a touch more for the Roos to reach the Top Five.

They won two more games in 1995 than in ’94 to finish on 11-8 and sneak into the elimination final.

Early on in 1995 and with Lancaster on fire against Eaglehawk with 10 majors the Ross posted their highest-ever score on record: a massive 36.22 (238).

Injuries to Ron Wicks and full-back Troy Rodda cast a pall over the Dower Park rooms, but the Flat still managed to win impressively in their next games over Castlemaine and North Bendigo, with a loss to the Hurst in between.

After the 157-point thrashing of North, Kangaroo Flat faced a big challenge from South Bendigo.

It was the halfway point of season ’95 and turned out to be a gripping tussle all afternoon.

However, at the final siren the Bloods emerged 11-point winners.

When the round came up with North Bendigo as the opponent, ‘Hollywood’ Dave had a day out.

Lancaster finished just two majors short of the BFNL overall record with an incredible 22 goals for the day.

And the Roo total of 44.25 (289) became the club’s highest tally and one of the Top Five in BFNL history.

Trailing by just two points at the final change in the elimination flat the Flat seemed to be a great chance.

But a more cohesive and determined Maryborough ran away with the game in the fourth quarter to win its way into the first semi-final with a 26-point victory.

It was to be Robert Ross’ last game as senior coach at Dower Park.

When I interviewed him after the game he said his centreline had needed to play better.

“And overall we did not play well enough. Our disposal let us down and some old mistakes surfaced once again,” Ross said.

The A grade netballers also bowed out in the elimination final losing to Square 48-31.

With a 17 win-4 loss record in 1995 the netballers looked to be heading deep into September, but it wasn’t to be.

Back to the footy and after his 22-major tally against North, ‘Hollywood’ Dave topped the BFNL senior goalkicking list with 105 goals.

He claimed the 1995 Ron Best medal.

Early 90s Michelsen medallists: Damien Saunders (1990), Ron Wicks (1993).

Betty Thompson A grade medallists: Lani-Jo Bryers (1993), Tiffany Holt (1994).

Selected 1990s footy finals scoreboards, 1990 elim. final: K. Flat 18.13 (121) def. C’maine 9.12 (66). 1995 elim. final: Maryborough 16.17 (113) def. Kang. Flat 12.15 (87).