King-size Kinglake- The devastation was all too clear on the faces of the Kinglake players and

By Kath Gannaway
THEY went into the 2009 season, and the 2009 Division Two grand final as underdogs but Kinglake managed to walk away from a losing grand final as champions – on and off the field.
Before an estimated crowd of 5000 people at Woori Yallock on Saturday Kinglake took on favourites Olinda Ferny Creek, came within 90 seconds of pulling off the big one and finally lost by a single goal.
The team went out on to the ground to a massive reception from not only the Kinglake fans, but from the entire crowd, and with words of encouragement from Prime Minister Kevin Rudd spurring them on.
“The fact that you have taken your community and risen to these heights – given where you were earlier this year – is fantastic, genuinely inspiring stuff,” he told the team.
Mr Rudd was accompanied by inspirational former footballer, Melbourne Football Club’s Jim Stynes, who is battling cancer.
For YVMDFL administrator Rick Wall, appointed by the league at the beginning of the year to help the disaster-struck Lakers rebuild for the season, the match was tortuous.
“For me, it was bittersweet … bittersweet whichever way it went,” said the former Olinda Ferny Creek premiership player and life member of the club.
Wall said for a grand final to get to a tied score in the dying moments of the game was unbelievable.
“Who could have imagined in February, in stinking hot conditions, voting on whether to fold or continue, it would come down to the last 90 seconds.
“The crowd noise was like an AFL match, it was incredibly exciting,” he said.
Club president Cameron Caine told the Mail on Monday the 2009 season had been an undisputed winner for the club and the community, but said there was no denying the pain of Saturday.
“The club won on 4 April after the first game; everything else from there on was a bonus. To even just be there on grand final day was massive for the community,” he said.
“But my heart goes out to the 21 guys who ran out on to the field. It’s one of those double-edged swords, I’m devastated for the boys, but for the club and for the community we had a major win.”
Mr Caine said there was no doubt the football club had become a symbol of the town for many people.
“I get pulled up in the street by people who are not at all into football and what they say is that it is something to hang our hat on, to take our minds off everything else that has happened for a while.
“A lot of people have been coming up to the games just to have a chat with neighbours and friends, and not necessarily about football.”
Mr Caine said pre-season training would start in December and there was every expectation the 2009 team, which he said had formed a great friendship this year, would be back as a team in 2010 and aiming for a flag.