Matt Denham is almost pinching himself as he prepares to line up for Melton in the Ballarat Football League grand final at Mars Stadium on Saturday.
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This will be his third straight BFL grand final appearance.
Almost four years ago this was the last thing he would have envisaged happening.
Denham had made the call to return to Bacchus Marsh for 2015 after a season in Canberra.
Momentum was building at the Cobras under the leadership of Cam Richardson and he was looking to help end Bacchus Marsh’s finals drought.
Unfortunately for the diminutive onballer he suffered a year-ending knee injury pre-season.
When he did get back in 2016 he became an integral player in not only lifting Bacchus Marsh into the finals, but also to its first BFL premiership.
After lining up in another grand final for the Cobras last year – this time a losing one – Denham made the tough call to move to Melton.
Just as he did with Bacchus Marsh, Denham made the decision to go back to where he had played in his junior days.
And just as it was at Bacchus Marsh, it could not have worked out better for him.
He has had a great year on an individual basis – finishing second in the Henderson Medal – and has a chance at being in a second premiership.
Denham said on arriving at MacPherson he was unsure what to expect, given it had been 11 years since Melton had played finals.
He likened it to his Bacchus Marsh experience – joining a young group which had played a lot of football together.
“I thought we could definitely play finals after seeing us in pre-season. Once the momentum got going it just didn’t stop.”
Denham said he did not have any plans to provide any special advice for teammates on how to handle grand final day.
“There’s isn’t much to say...you just have to ride it. It’s a fun day, It’s a fun game. This is what you play for. If you can’t get excited then you never will.”
When it came to finding a high profile recruit, it was no surprise that Melton targeted Denham.
He was the perfect fit. Not only was he a class act with experience, and straight out of a winning culture, Denham was also a one-pointer under the player points system.
When it comes to fostering homegrown talent, no one has done its better in the BFL than the Bloods in the past five years.
This is why they will go into the grand final with only Ben Archard, who was recruited last season, carrying more than one point.
There is no shortage of VFL-experienced players, but with most having gone through junior ranks at Melton they are on the minimum.
