BFL grand final: Lakers win their first flag

"IT IS time. It is here. Well done." They were the words of Lake Wendouree coach Mathew Battistello as he held aloft the club's first senior MECU Ballarat Football League premiership cup. Succinctly put, but emphatically won.The Associated Plasters Lakers overcame a slow start for a 55-point win over Ballarat at Eastern Oval on Saturday.Battistello, in his third season as coach, said the 18.9 (117) to 9.8 (62) win was a result of hard work through the club's 15-year history."It's a very good feeling to finally hold the cup; I'm rapt, but it's for the whole club and all the people in it," he said."All the players and coaches that came before us put in a lot of hard work and we wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for them."Ballarat, in its 150th anniversary season, hit hard early.The Dahlsens Swans booted four goals to two in the opening term and looked far more settled and sharp for a 13-point lead at the first break.When Lakers' defender Tim Malone was yellow-carded for striking late in the first quarter, it seemed to make his 17 teammates left on the ground click.Ballarat kicked the first goal of the second, but the Lakers' onballers tightened, their midfield found some run and Paul McMahon booted the first three of his eight-goal haul.He thrilled the crowd with his flair in contested marking and skill in goal kicking.The Swans struggled for a match-up on McMahon, robbing their own key forward Nathan Anderson for a quarter before sending him back to the forward line.Ruckman Dan Weymouth began to dominate with rovers Mick Foster and captain Ben Taylor at his feet, while joint captain Gavin Webb controlled the back six.Ballarat was still in the game, seven points down at half-time.But the Lakers pulled away in the third quarter.Robbie Gregg snapped an unlikely goal from the pocket midway through the term to spark up supporters: 25 points up.Anderson replied, then Laker Nathan Pring kicked two goals within 40 seconds for a 33-point buffer at the final break.Ballarat coach Shaun O'Loughlin urged his team to run in the final term.But the Lakers had momentum and did not stop.Battistello said after the first quarter, his team had found its own game again."It was just about getting settled - once we clicked with our marks we knew we had to stick to our structures," he said.He also credited the support of assistant coaches Mick Taylor, Vin Armstrong and Andrew Quinlan.Battistello was relieved when the final siren sounded, but says he had mixed emotions, knowing how much his former teammates and close friends at Ballarat would be hurting.Ballarat coach Shaun O'Loughlin said the Lakers were simply the better team on the day."The year has been a good reflection on the Ballarat Football Club," he said."Obviously you want to win a grand final, but it is a good effort to make a grand final."The club should be proud of the boys for giving them another chance to win one."