FOOTBALL

NORTH GIPPSLAND

BY BLAKE METCALF-HOLT

 

COWWARR has the chance to capture its first senior premiership since 2006 this weekend.

The Saints have already put forth a monster season for its supporters, losers of just one game to this point, but coach Luke Hegarty said they “haven’t achieved anything” yet.

“We’re not getting ahead of ourselves, obviously it’s pleasing where we are at to this point,” he told the Express.

“We know that the ultimate goal is to win a premiership.”

Hegarty, who has served as Cowwarr’s senior coach for three seasons, noted a long road for the group to get to where they are.

The Saints’ semi-final win over Heyfield, which booked their ticket for the North Gippsland Football-Netball League grand final instantly, was the club’s first senior finals match since 2012.

The side displayed worlds of grit and determination in a match of heighten stakes, not just for themselves but for everyone who kept an eye on them throughout the year.

Scrutiny has surrounded Cowwarr, having enlisted major signings from the premier Gippsland League in Tristen Waack, Shannen Lange and Jack Johnstone, to go along with a boatload of other significant recruits.

Down by 24 points at three quarter time, Hegarty and the Saints’ leaders rallied the troops and sailed home to a historic win for the club.

The Cowwarr coach called it a “humble moment” when arriving into the packed changerooms at Yarram Recreation Reserve to sing the song.

“Obviously it’s been quite a while since we’ve had any success at the football club, so it’s good to see all those people enjoying it the way that we think they should be,” he said.

“We don’t play football just for ourselves, it’s as much about our families, the supporters, all the volunteers that are there for the journey as well.”

Hegarty was confident that his players would get the job done in the semi-final, with his address at the final break in play imploring them to “go all in”.

“It was just (about) being bold and taking the game on and I thought we did that really well,” he said.

While the dramatic jump to become so dominant was perhaps not predicted in its entirety, the club’s trajectory has been on notice for a couple of years.

Cowwarr champion Patrick Tainsh returned in 2025 after a few years with Sale, undoubtably a link that attracted 2022 Gippsland League grand final teammates Lange and Johnstone to drop down to the North Gippsland club.

The addition of Sam Hallyburton, who’s father Darren featured in Cowwarr’s last flag, was monstrous, and led to the shock announcement of his Traralgon premiership teammate Waack soon after.

It only snowballed, as in between the signings of the elite trio, the Saints continued to top up through the likes of Caleb Michie and Goanar Ruach.

Michie, who joined Cowwarr off the back of a successful period with Traralgon Tyers United, and Ruach, added to what would become a potent forward line alongside Keenan Hughes.

Steady improvement has been seen since Hughes’ arrival to Cowwarr, as the Saints have climbed the ladder in each year since 2024.

Into his third season with the Saints, Hughes is now surrounded by adequate support, which equalled his best individual season to date with 116 goals through the home-and-away season.

That figure placed third-highest in the history of the league, and now heading into the grand final with 119 majors, the star key forward possesses one of largest totals across the entire state.

Collectively, Cowwarr had the first and third (Michie) leading goal kickers at the end of the home-and-away season, with another two (Waack and Hallyburton) booting more than 30 goals.

Present throughout and as a 100-game player himself, Hegarty said it was tough in the beginning when taking on the coaching job, but that the club has put itself in a strong position across the board.

“I think over the first couple of years, it was obviously really hard building from the ground up and it was just sort of step-by-step,” he said.

“I knew the process was going to be around that three to four years and that was what I had in place right from the word go … to sort of be patient and not push it.”

The standards on the field have risen due to the commitment of old and new club members, leading to a strong culture and environment, as well as facility improvements.

“They have done an incredible job behind the scenes,” Hegarty said.

“It was just a matter of getting some good thirds in and then sort of putting some pieces of the puzzle (together) and biding our time until it was our time to go for it.”

Some of the longest serving clubmen now gain the opportunity to reap in success previously unimaginable to them, such as skipper Ben Coffey and Brett Grieve, while 350-gamer Shane Morgan and Tim Johnston are still kicking along at the top level from the 2006 premiership.

On that day, Cowwarr conquered the league for the first time since 1987, almost the same distance between this next effort, when they defeated Rosedale by 20 points.

This weekend’s grand final will be played at the same venue, Traralgon’s Terry Hunter Reserve, as it was 20 years ago.

 

WAACK has rode a wave of excitement built up at Cowwarr Football-Netball Club as one of its latest members.

The 2024 Traralgon senior premiership star and former VFL player told the Express the season so far has been very special to be a part of, and is locked in ahead of this weekend’s North Gippsland Football-Netball League senior grand final.

Making the shift to North Gippsland ahead of this season, alongside Maroons premiership teammate Sam Hallyburton, Waack has enjoyed worlds of success as the key figure in a side who’ve lost just one game so far.

“This year has felt very special, the environment at the club has been awesome and very welcoming,” he said.

“It’s a special feeling knowing that I’ve been able to be a part of the club’s improvements this year and the massive growth.”

The Cowwarr side, taking out the minor premiership, has watched its nearest opponents closely in recent weeks during the finals series.

Gifted a weeks grace during the opening round of North Gippsland finals, the Saints then won straight through to the grand final the following week in a tough come-from-behind win over Heyfield.

Waack and other Cowwarr stars watched on the next day during the first semi-final between Woodside and Yallourn Yallourn North, and the following week with the Wildcats defeating Heyfield in the preliminary final.

The Saints were afforded the chance to dissect their grand final opponents in preparation for this weekend’s decider.

Waack said that the reigning back-to-back premier will be hard to stop.

“The expectations don’t really change from what we have had and focussed on all year,” he said.

“We need to have a level head and expect Woodside to come out firing.

“We all know they’re a great team with lots of finals experience.”

Waack joined Luke Hegarty and Keenan Hughes in the coaching ranks when joining the club, and has been a leader for a playing group starving for success.

“The opportunity to be a part of the coaching staff and leadership group has given me the opportunity to see the game in different ways that I haven’t previously,” he said.

Waack, a once Yinnar and Boolarra junior, has played for a multitude of clubs both locally and more broadly in his short time at senior level.

He played for Morwell and Traralgon in the Gippsland League, while also suiting up in the VFL for Box Hill and Preston (recently Northern Bullants) and ventured up north (Northern Territory) to play.

The 23-year-old could add a North Gippsland premiership and potential grand final best-on-ground medal in a few days, to go along with a Gippsland League flag and VFL club award.