FOOTBALL
GIPPSLAND POWER
By BLAKE METCALF-HOLT
GIPPSLAND Power’s lone 2005 TAC Cup premiership will be celebrated 20 years on this weekend, with a past players and staff night following the current boys and girls sides’ final home-and-away bout against Dandenong Stingrays at Shepley Oval on Saturday.
The local development football club reached the mountaintop for the first time in 2005, defeating Dandenong, 12.9 (81) to 10.6 (66) at the MCG, capping off a brilliant year which featured many future AFL stars and draftees.
A total of 10 AFL players arose from the premiership-winning side, headlined by Collingwood champion and Sale’s Scott Pendlebury – the only player from either Grand Final team to still be playing at the top level.
In the Magpies 2010 flag, Pendlebury won alongside three Power teammates – Drouin’s Dale Thomas, Pakenham’s Tyson Goldsack, and Kilcunda’s Brent Macaffer.
Fellow Power premiership teammate, Stony Creek’s Robert Eddy was on the losing side for St Kilda, while Wonthaggi’s Trent West featured in Geelong’s 2011 flag over his former Power peers turned Collingwood players.
Gippsland Power had three players taken in the top five in the 2005 AFL Draft, with Thomas picked second (to Collingwood), Lakes Entrance’s Xavier Ellis picked third to Hawthorn, and Pendlebury taken fifth.
Ellis was the first to taste success, winning a premiership with the Hawks in just his third season, and ultimately playing out an 11-year career, finishing with West Coast.
Traralgon’s Jay Neagle was taken with Essendon’s father-son selection (Merv Neagle was a 1984 premiership player) – the son mustered 28 games through injury for the Bombers, and would later play locally for Traralgon, TTU (Traralgon-Tyers United), and Glengarry.
Nar Nar Goon’s Lachlan Hansen was taken third overall in 2006 to North Melbourne, playing 151 games for the Kangaroos during a strong period for the club – later lacing up for the Goon for 13 games post-AFL career.
Garfield’s Ben Ross was taken in the 2007 preseason draft, mounting 18 games for North Melbourne and Hawthorn in a seven-year period.
Ross is also the cousin of Sydney Swans small forward and Bunyip’s Tom Papley, while Ross’ brother Michael also played two games for Essendon in 2011.
The 2005 season was something of a break-out year for Power, who had yet to get over the line in finals.
Finishing top of the ladder, Power began by taking down the side who denied them in the previous year’s preliminary final, thumping Calder Cannons by 77 points, before booking their Grand Final date by defeating Northern Knights by 10 points.
In its 13th year of existence, Gippsland Power arrived on the big day as a curtain-raiser to that year’s AFL Grand Final, the famous Leo Barry game where Sydney broke their 72-year premiership drought.
Fans flocked early for the under 18s decider, which was riddled with plenty of mistakes as neither side were settled to begin proceedings.
Future Collingwood and Carlton high-flyer Thomas displayed what was soon to come at the top level, elevating his draft status with a best-on-ground performance, finishing with 20 disposals, eight marks, and a game-high four goals.
Thomas booted the opener for Power, crumbing a clever goal which led to a Gippsland run of four goals, seeing them 28 points up at quarter time.
Dandenong dug deep and capitalised on a few indecisive plays from Power, with the Stingrays nailing three consecutive majors.
Thomas broke through with two goals at pivotal moments to give Power separation through the middle two quarters.
Morwell 2013 premiership player Jeff Ryan added another for Power to extend their lead further.
Both teams went back-and-forth with goals to close the third quarter, with Power ahead by 22 points.
The final term opened with worlds of pressure either way, before Power best-and-fairest Ricky Delphine, Neagle and Ross combined to create a slim opportunity for Pendlebury, who duly converted.
With the game in the balance, Thomas rose again and finished another major on the run, inspiring his teammates to finish things off.
In his first year as Power coach, Hawthorn premiership player and Leongatha footballer, Paul Hudson was elated with the historic win, with his team consistently the best all year round despite only training together once a week.
Pendlebury was said to have displayed courage and grit playing the game after a family bereavement, demonstrating great character to be a solid contributor all day.
The Sale prodigy had previously taken a number of years off football to pursue basketball at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra, before returning for his final two years of juniors.
It has been said that his decision to choose football over basketball made room for future NBA champion Patty Mills to be accepted in the AIS.
From this Gippsland Power premiership side, players have since left their mark on the wider local football scene.
The most memorable after the fact would have to be the youngest of the crop from 2005, being Philip Island’s Beau Vernon.
The inspirational Leongatha and Philip Island premiership coach has since become a Paralympian in wheelchair basketball after he suffered a catastrophic injury playing for the Parrots in 2012, rendering him a quadriplegic.
Vernon was highlighted for demonstrating excellent decision making and precise ball skills to generate drives for Power during their Grand Final victory.
Brett Dore was a 2010 premiership player with Nar Nar Goon, while Jaymie Youle has been one of Philip Island’s most decorated players, winning three flags and playing more than 200 games for the Bulldogs.
Chris Dunne was a dual Gippsland League leading goal kicker for Leongatha in 2016 and 2018, while Zac Vansittart played seasons for Bunyip in Ellinbank and West Gippsland, being a premiership player in 2012 alongside Power teammate Nathan Lieshout.
Ben Hughes was rookie listed at North Melbourne however didn’t manage a game at AFL level – he was later playing-coach at Warragul in 2019 and booted 94 goals between 2015 and 2016 for Drouin.
Collingwood premiership player Macaffer also won a West Gippsland flag for Tooradin-Dalmore in 2022.
As for others of note from that 2005 TAC Cup Grand Final, Dandenong featured future Melbourne captain Nathan Jones and Hawthorn player Travis Tuck (son of Hawks legend Michael and brother of Richmond’s Shane).
Gippsland Power has since made the Grand Final twice (2010, ’12), but looks primed this season to reach the last day of the year, finishing second on the ladder – the best of any non-academy side.
