If you follow the SANFL, you might have heard of a team that’s been doing fairly well these last few years – Central Districts. I’m here to discuss why, and how long it’ll last.
It’s been said many times in this past decade that Central Districts just don’t know how to lose a final. While not strictly true, it’s a good indicator of what has made the Bulldogs a dominant force for so long. The “winning culture”.
Personally, I think the term “winning culture” is a misleading crock of the brown stuff.
It’s not the culture of the club that wins games, even though it does undeniably help when you have an established and comfortable footballing staff who know what they’re doing through experience.
No, what wins games (and finals) are the players. And although we have had fantastic leadership groups, magnificent backline marshals and commanding forward generals, there are two players that have defined what makes Centrals a winning side.
The Gowans brothers are the epitome of the Bulldogs playing style.
Not pretty footy, not necessarily clean footy, but always hard footy (well, most of the time, at least). That consistent, never say die attitude has persisted through all the winning grand finals, none more so than the most recent, where we finally met a side that wanted it as much as we did.
Just to divert from my main course for a bit, another reason why Centrals have been so dominant is because no-one else has looked like coming anywhere near close since Sturt in 2002. Sure, Woodville-West Torrens won one in 2006, but that was a matter of throwing darts at a dartboard… one had to stick (that, and they were the better team on the day, by far. Full credit where it’s due).
Glenelg, Sturt, the Eagles and North have all had fantastic seasons, made it to the grand final, lost, and failed to recapture the spirit of their first tilt in the next season. Whether through retirements, poaching or just plain form slumps, each team has failed to contest again (so far).
Back to the Gowans.
They’ve been there since the start of the dominance, and when they leave, I reckon it’ll be the end of it. That amount of experience, the knowledge and the skills that the Gowans have been able to impart upon the ranks of young Doggies throughout this decade can and will never be replaced.
I’m not gonna say they are cool heads in a crisis, because they aren’t. But the honesty they possess is incredible. If you’re a tool and kick it out on the full, they’ll let you know. If you pull off a checkside wrong-footed, they’ll slap you on the back and buy you a beer after the game. If you’re against them, they’ll do all they can to mess with your game, and they’re not shy about it.
To have that as a constant in the team, to have that as you’re coming up as a young kid, or coming back as an AFL reject, to have a couple of blokes who won’t let your head float into the clouds or drag on the ground is an irreplaceable benefit.
When they go, Centrals will no longer be the dominant force. We’ll be up there, mind, just not as invincible as we once seemed to be. It’s a day I hope is very, very, very far away.
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