BALLARAT Grammar School will use yesterday’s grand final defeat as motivation for its 2012 MCC-Herald Sun Country Shield campaign.Wanganui Park Secondary College proved too strong for the Ballarat school at Highgate Recreation Reserve, Craigieburn, comfortably victorious 12.12 (84) to 5.11 (41).The successful Shepparton school used its loss in last year’s Country Shield final as a springboard for its victory this year, Wanganui Park coach Dan Watson said after the match.Ballarat Grammar coach Alan Pitson said after making the grand final this year for the first time since 2000, a substantial proportion of the squad would be back for another attempt at the country schools football championship next season.“Half the team will be back next year and we’ve also got a good group of players coming along,” Pitson said.“Every year is different, of course. Half your squad moves on but we’d like to believe we can make it back again (next year) and go the next step.“They (Wanganui Park) were beaten last year by (Ballarat Clarendon) College by about the same margin. It shows you can rebound.”Grammar started impressively enough, kicking the first two goals of the match with the wind. However, five behinds during that first quarter was to prove fatal, particularly after Wanganui Park scored a major against the flow in the last minute of the term. That was illustrated in the second quarter when Wanganui Park kicked six goals without reply with the aid of the breeze. The Shepparton school then controlled the tempo of the match in the third term with chip kicking across the backline neutralising Ballarat Grammar’s advantage at the contested ball as well as the wind. A miracle over-the-shoulder goal to James Cusack in the third minute of the final quarter raised hopes of a comeback, but Wanganui Park responded with the next three to snuff out the revival.Pitson said early injuries to Sebastian Walsh and Cusack exposed Grammar’s lack of depth.“Against this grade of opposition, if you lack depth you’ll struggle,” he said.“Of course if we’d kicked those goals in the first quarter it might have put scoreboard pressure on (Wanganui Park).”Wanganui Park’s Ben Bingham was awarded the Danny Frawley Medal as the best on ground in the grand final.DETAILSMCC-HERALD SUN COUNTRY SHIELDWanganui Park 1.1 7.6 9.6 12.12 (84)Ballarat Grammar School 2.5 2.7 3.9 5.11 (41)BGS – Goals: Sam Shir 2, Tom Toohey, James Cusack, Fred Stephan. Best: Hamish McInnes, Mitch Etherton, Hamish Morcom, Josh Bromley-Lynch, Sam Bromley-Lynch, Fred Stephan.