Hillside will be playing in Premier Division for the first time in club history following its remarkable win over Oak Park in Saturday’s Strathmore Community Bank Division One grand final.
As the sun began to set on Coburg City Oval, it was the Sharks who capped off a remarkable day to swim away with a thrilling 22-point victory and claim the premiership for 2025.
The day was no doubt sweetened and celebrated even more because of the feats of vice captain Josh Covelli, who four minutes into the final quarter, sensationally kicked 100 goals in a year for the second consecutive season.
The fans were quick to jump the fence, and they flocked to the Hillside forward line to celebrate the moment.
In what was one of the greatest days in the history of the Hillside Football Club with the Reserves also winning, they are now off to the top flight.
While it’s the holy grail for Hillside, it’s heartbreak for Oak Park as they fall agonisingly short of tasting premiership success and capping off a brilliant season.
With the Kangaroos looking to clinch a second bout of premiership success in just three years, the favourites ultimately fell short.
HOW IT PLAYED OUT
It was on from the start with both sides opening their accounts in ruthless fashion.
With a hot footy bobbling around, players hardly had a second to act before opposition pressure was felt.
In a low-scoring opening term, the Sharks made the most of their opportunities in front of the sticks, highlighted by a mercurial running drop punt goal from the boundary line by captain Zak Wunhym four minutes into the contest.
The Roos were proving to be wasteful in front of goal, and this pattern extended into the second quarter with the minor premiers recording just two goals from 12 scores at half time.
On the other hand, the Sharks were making the most of their opportunities and held onto a mere one-point lead going into the third term.
The second half was poised to be a thriller, and it was the Sharks who made the Roos pay with a three-goal-to-one effort in the premiership quarter.
Josh Covelli and Khalil Kaakour set the game alight five minutes into the third term, with Kaakour converting a loose ball in front of goal after a bone-crunching, “WWE-like” tackle from Covelli on Oak Park’s premier defender, Lachlan Stredwick.
In the final quarter of the season, Hillside were firmly parked in the driver’s seat and simply had to stave off a pressing Oak Park.
The magical moment for Josh Covelli came at the four-minute mark of the final term.
After receiving the footy at the top of the goal-square, Covelli rolled around onto his dangerous left foot and booted through goal 100 of the season.
It made for a remarkable scene, and gave the Sharks a tidal wave of surging momentum for the remainder of the final quarter.
It was always going to be a challenge for the Kangaroos to come home after this, and with that said, the Sharks went on to claim victory and capture senior men's premiership success for the first time since 2013.
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WHERE THE GAME WAS WON
Hillside’s hunt around the contest and pressure rating was a defining element of the match, with the Sharks dominating at stoppage and strangling the Roos all day with their intensity.
They won the clearance count by 10, 48-38 and were relentless in winning the ball back off turnover.
Ultimately, it was the Sharks' pressure which was the standout.
They had 52 more tackles than Oak Park and posted a final figure of 86 tackles to the Roos' 34.
Aligning with this, Hillside produced a final pressure rating of 200 for the day, with Oak Park only mustering a mere figure of 91.
These figures aren’t surprising, with the Sharks' hunt and endeavour on full display for onlookers.
THE BEST OF THE SHARKS
Khalil Kaakour put a stamp on what has been a brilliant first season with the Sharks with a performance that saw him take home the David McWilliam Medal for best-on-ground honours.
He racked up a pivotal 27 disposals, 11 tackles, and booted through two critical goals in what was a low-scoring affair.
Kaakour also recorded a whopping 27 team involvements for the day, highlighted by his 11 tackles and 12 pressure acts.
Fort Caruso was also exceptional and produced a match-defining performance, with his impact in and around stoppage a key takeaway from the game.
He had 27 disposals, 20 of which were contested, to go along with nine clearances and seven tackles.
THE GALLANT ROOS
In what was a disappointing day for the Roos, Josh Hotchkin and Paul Pascu were both among their best yet again.
Hotchkin toiled away in the ruck contest all day, and had another exceptional outing with 24 disposals and 51 hit outs.
As well as this, Pascu was relatively quiet for his standards but was still able to have his usual dynamic impact at times.
He battled hard and produced a solid performance with 16 disposals, seven tackles, and a goal.
