THE SAWTELL Panthers are preparing for a game that’s been 14 years in the making.
The Panthers are set to play in their first Group 2 First Grade grand final since 2011, which was also their last premiership win.
They are due to meet a familiar foe in the Nambucca Roosters, who they played in their last grand final appearance.
After more than a decade’s absence from the big game, Panthers president Colin Fogarty expressed how much it meant to return to a grand final, considering the position of the club just a few years ago.
“It means everything to the club at the moment,” he said.
“We started off with no money and only 13 players a week out from a comp four years ago.
“We thought we’d give it a go, and we took the field and got flogged for two years.
“The committee worked hard and we made an investment on two or three players, and we’ve turned the club right around.
“To come from not winning a game for two years to making a grand final, it’s a great story, and it’s an inspiration for any country club that’s doing it tough – you can turn things around in a couple of years.
“Having good local juniors is the most important thing, and we have nine local juniors playing in the First Grade grand final, and that’s our heart and soul right there.”
Playing in just his second season for the Panthers, newly re-signed captain-coach Sam Johnstone can plainly see how much a grand final berth meant to the local community.
“You have people crying after just making it, and that sort of gets to you and touches you,” he said.
“You can see what it means to the whole community, not just the team, but for the juniors and the committee.
“And people down the street are stopping you and saying congratulations and they don’t even know you, so you can tell what it means to the town and the community, and now we’re just focused on finishing that last job.”
Former Panthers premiership player and life member Col Adams said the club’s culture had helped to turn things around in recent years.
“At the moment the club’s got a really strong committee, and is strong player, supporter, and sponsor wise,” he said.
“You take four years ago, we didn’t even have a football side, and we’ve gone from having no team to making a First Grade grand final.
“It just goes to show the culture that we have at this club, and we’re just a close-knit club and we’ve proven that over the last couple of years.”
By Aiden BURGESS
You can help your local paper.
Make a small once-off, or (if you can) a regular donation.
We are an independent family owned business and our newspapers are free to collect and our news stories are free online.
Help support us into the future.
