Keilor have won back-to-back premierships for the first time since 2001, defeating Pascoe Vale by 53 points in dominant display.
Saturday’s victory seals an incredible fifth premiership for legendary coach Mick McGuane as well as a fourth premiership for veterans Kane Barbuto and Mason Thomas.
After an incredible season that saw Pascoe Vale reach their first grand final since winning the 2011 Division One flag, Leigh Tudor’s side couldn’t match it with the formidable Keilor outfit for 120 minutes, with the Blues dominating the final three quarters.
After taking a 21-point lead into half time, it was a six-goal third quarter blitz that set up the win for Keilor before finishing with four final quarter goals to help cruise to a comfortable victory.
Nathan Colenso claimed the prized Reg Rose Medal with the forward booting five goals, including three in the first quarter against the run of play to keep his side in it, and two in the third term to blow the game out of the water.
The superstar had some strong competition for the medal from Jovan Petric and Nick O’Kearney who both kicked four and three goals respectively, as well as Christ Kosmas who provided plenty of run all day and starred in the memorable victory.
Pascoe Vale fired the first shot when Ahmed Saad intercepted a Reuben William kick and hit up Matthew Watson before playing on and giving it off to Josh Iacobaccio for the first of the day.
Watson was involved again just moments later when the sharpshooter made the most of William’s wayward handball and drilled his first for the day.
Keilor were able to settle their nerves when Colenso roved the pack to put through his side’s first for the match.
Ben Allan restored Pacco’s two goal lead, but the joy was short lived as Colenso drilled his second on the run to reduce the margin to six points 25 minutes into the first term.
The superstar forward wasn’t finished there as on the stroke of quarter time, he went back with the flight and took a strong mark before converting the set shot to make it three first quarter goals and tie up the scores.
Keilor took the lead for the first time just after the quarter time siren when O’Kearney snapped through their fourth for the day and made it two in 20 seconds to extend their advantage to 11 points.
Saad began to make his mark on the contest after a quiet first quarter when he snapped through his first for the day in front of the Reynolds Stand.
Pacco weren’t able to string together a run of goals and Petric was able to capitalise on the Blues' repeat entries when he got boot to ball on the goal line for his first of the day.
With the momentum against them and the game starting to get away from the Panthers, Watson and Sunny Brazier squandered golden opportunities to get their side back into the contest after their set shots ended up out on the full.
Petric made them pay again when the Blues took the ball end to end and dribbled through the goal of the day from the boundary to extend their lead to 20 points.
The superstar made it three in a row when he snapped through their eighth for the day to give them a 28-point lead three minutes into the third quarter, but he wasn’t finished there as he nailed his set shot from 45 metres out hard up against the boundary just minutes later.
With Pascoe Vale’s heads starting to drop, Saad steadied the ship once again with a crucial goal to reduce the deficit to 29 points.
Colenso would soon put through his fourth to open up a 33-point lead to halt any hopes of a comeback.
The number 31 brought the almost 4,000-strong Windy Hill crowd to its feet just seconds later when he got a handball receive and drilled his fifth on the run.
With the flood gates starting to open, Cody Brand got the better of Lachie Stredwick in a one on one and put through his first of the day.
Jared Eckersley kept his side in it with a pivotal goal just before the three-quarter time siren, but it did little to stop Keilor’s momentum with Matthew Bartlett replying straight away with his first major.
The premiership was almost sealed when captain Kane Barbuto kicked the first of the final term, as the celebrations started to boil over when Billy Johnson got on the score sheet.
Just like they had done all year, Pascoe Vale continued to fight right until the final siren and were given some late joy when Daniel Guccione gave the Panthers their third of the second half.
With the light fading, Kyle O’Connor was rewarded for his tireless effort all day with an incredible goal from 50 metres out on the boundary and was matched soon after when O’Kearney snapped through his third from hard up against the fence.
As the minutes were ticking away and the result all but sealed, the Keilor bench erupted when the siren sounded and marked the third premiership cup brought back to the soon-to-be-renovated rooms at Joe Brown Oval in the last four completed seasons.
