Back
Rebels win 2024 Premiership and make it Back to Back flags
Rebels defeat Dingos for the second year in a row and win 6th Premiership.
The 2024 AFL Ontario Regular season had been eventful to say the least. Let’s do a quick recap: The Rebels came into the season as Reigning Premiers. However, with an early defeat to the Dingos in Round One, and a list fraught with injury mid season resulting in another loss to the Eagles, it was clear that the Rebels came into September, not as favourites, but as underdogs.
The Dingos and the Rebels were clear and away the two strongest teams in the league. The head to head stood at 2 to 1, advantage Dingos, with their most recent win coming in the prelim finals two weeks ago. The opposition was confident. But anyone that was around the Rebels Footy Club could sense that something special was on the cards come Grand Final Day.
And so it arrived, Saturday, September 21st, 2024. A warm, sticky fall afternoon, the conditions warranted a tough and physical match. The Dingos list boasted a skillful Aussie lineup and a Northwind Ruck. The Rebels were more physical and were going to rely on tackle pressure, hard ground ball gets and lots of run. In the midfield, the charge was lead by Spencer in the Ruck, Mahi and Alex roving, and Jedi, playing a massive tagging role on his opposite number Brayden Becks, who had just picked up League BnF honours (more on this to come!).
Center bounce at high noon, and the footy was immediately hotly contested. Both teams were showing fight and the footy pinged from one end of the field to the other. The rebels defence was holding strong, with Woz, Alex and Sammy making massive efforts in one on one contests and taking some huge intercept marks off half back. The dingos were skillful with their possession, but the tackle pressure gave them no time to string together any meaningful passage of play. The quarter ended with no major score from either team in a dead heat of defence and physicality!
The second quarter kicked off with the same kind of pressure. The Dingos took the first clearance, only to be intercepted by Rhonan to boomerang the footy back towards the Rebels forwards. The footy hits the wing, Dingos possession, tackle by Gunna, another tackle by Jedi, a third by Jovan, and another tackle in as many seconds by Alex gives us back possession!! All involved take a deep breath. Minutes later, another inside 50, and Jovan tackles a defender right in front of the goals….. GONE!! He slots the first goal of the afternoon and we are off and away!
The first goal seemed to settle the nerves of both sides as the Dingos finally get a clean mark and a simple shot at goal, only to be countered by an insane outside of the boot, running away from the goals, karate chop of a kick, GOAL! The Jello Special! We’re headed towards the halfway whistle when Woz wins another massive ball in defence and kicks long to Kid. Kid explodes through the middle of the field, and bombs it towards an open goal. It’s a foot race now and Disco Dan is quickest to the footy, clean with his hands, picks it up and pokes it through to complete the massive momentum swing!!
There was on moment just before the half time siren, when the ball shoots out to the wing, right in front of the Rebels bench to an open Dingo, it’s Becks (The aforementioned League BnF). He had been quite influential to this point, winning a lot of the footy for the Dingos and using it well. As soon as he grabs the footy, a sprinting blur of a Jedi comes crashing right into him, spilling the man and the footy. As they both stand up and collect themselves, the entire Rebels bench erupts! Jedi stares his man down as to say “Come at me, I am not afraid!”. We were underdogs but we were not afraid! We have come to fight, and you will have to go through every one of us to see the finish line!
Third quarter, the momentum was on the Rebels side. The game is being contested in the middle of the field again and finds a rare bit of space towards the action wing. Dreamy charges towards it and picks it up clean. He shrugs off a tackle, takes a bounce, runs past two more defenders, takes another bounce, squares up and its a beautiful kick to Browny, twenty out from goal! Brilliant! The lead is now three goals!
At this point in the afternoon, it was evident that both teams were exhausted and the boys were running on pure adrenaline. The game began to slow, and the Dingos were able to find a few key passages of play and get more shots at goal than the Rebels. They were keeping things interesting and had a response every time the Rebels seemed to be pulling away. To add to the challenge, the Rebels lose an influential Hendo to a calf strain, and Jedi goes down in a nasty collision. Things begin to even out as the game quietly enters the fourth quarter and the Dingos creep back to within two goals.
The Dingos send it forward again, Woz up with his direct opponent yet again, he rises up and punches the footy forward. A whistle! Push in the back against the Rebels!! Utter disbelief, a frustrated sigh… Fifty!! A few moments later, Dingos on the loose again, another whistle, “Play on, Advantage!”. The advantage catches the defence off guard, and the Dingos kick another!
And the afternoon’s hard work is all undone in one moment as the Dingos take the lead with less than ten minutes left on the clock…
The ball goes back into the middle, and the arm wrestle resumes. Dingos swarm, and their kicks are finding targets, but the Rebels are throwing themselves at the footy with pure desperation. Hunter wins it, loses it, wins it back, kicks it along the ground. Mahi flies in for a tackle, Gator slaps at the loose footy. Rhonan takes another intercept mark but can’t find an open man, Dingos scrap, get a free kick in front of goals! ITS A BEHIND. There’s still hope! Sammy smashes the goal kick seventy metres into the centre of the field and finds Dreamy! Dreamy turns and kicks, another bomb into the Rebels forward 50. Browny is there! But he can’t mark it! Ball spills, second effort from Browny kicks a mongrel towards goal, huge bounce into the air, Jello gets up and taps it over his shoulder….. AND THERE’S DAN! TURNS, SNAPS, GOAL!!!!!!!
A massive roar from all in attendance, people shocked and elated all at the same time! The ball goes back to the middle and Captain Kid is yelling at the midfield “THIS IS ON YOU, WIN THAT FOOTY, WIN US THIS GAME!”. There couldn’t be more than five minutes left on the clock, and every Rebel on the ground has found a tenth wind, springing into action, getting tighter to their man. We win the clearance and lock the footy in our half, tackle after stoppage after tackle. The seconds tick down. And finally after an eternity, the siren bellows. The Rebels pull off the miracle. Back to back Premiers in the contest of a lifetime. What a game.
As half the players jumped and rejoiced, and the other half collapsed with exhaustion, the fever dream was finally settling down into reality. Rebels and Dingos shook hands, applauded the tenacity of their opponent, and acknowledged that both sides had been a part of an epic showcase of Australian Football in Canada. Alex Colborne was recognized as Best on Ground for his massive effort on both ends of the field and Coach Browny made sure to acknowledge each and every Rebel. Our strength is in our unity, on and off the field. Every contribution matters, from kicking the winning goal, to our faithful friends and family that come down to support us every Saturday afternoon! We sing the song as one group, we lift the trophy, and straight down to Hemingway’s for a well deserved frothy… maybe more than just one…
Final Score: Rebels 7.4.46 defeat Dingos 5.13.43
And that’s a wrap for the 2024 AFL Ontario Season. Thank you to our Sponsors, to our supporters, to the exec group, the leaders, the coaches and to those that left it all out there on the field! See you next year!