Scoop Reviews the Grand Final | Presented by Back in Play
Darley made it four flags in nine seasons with an all-the-way 34-point win over Sunbury at City Oval on Saturday.
A seven-goal blitz from the Devils in the opening term helped set up a monster 47-point lead at the first change to stun the Lions, who were making their first grand final appearance since 2016.
Darley
def.
Sunbury
Five of those goals came in an extraordinary 11-minute period on the back of some Nick Hind brilliance who lit up the stage with his dare and run off half back, chiming in with two game breaking goals to send the Devils’ loyal and faithful into raptures.
Sure, the Devils were kicking with the aid of a three-goal breeze, but the dominant nature of the display gave every indication this game was over as early as quarter time.
Dan Jordan's trained to the minute soldiers confirmed their warm favorites tag in emphatic style to silence the Lions who were held scoreless and bereft of any momentum.
Darley's big guns came to play, proving a thorn in the Lions’ side from the outset.
Brett Bewley 40 disposals (22 contested, 12 clearances, 12 inside 50s), Hind 37 (9 inside 50s, 3 goals), Billy Myers 27 (13 rebound 50s), Luther Baker 25 (18 contested, 12 clearances) and Mace Cousins (122 ranking points, 2 goals) had massive days on the number front to deny the Lions who trailed in all areas around disposals, marks and general play.
Interesting to note however, the Devils have lost both inside 50 counts in their recent grand final successes under Jordan 50-52 (2025) and 35-53 (2023).
Goals came at a premium after quarter time as both sides fought tooth and nail for any advantage despite the breeze.
The Devils managed to hold the Lions to just two goals during their time with the advantage in the second term and again in the last (two goals).
Those returns were never going to be enough to impact the deficit despite the Lions outscoring the Devils 6.9 to 4.8 after quarter time.
Credit to Matty White and his group who didn't shirk the issue after being caught on the ropes early and fought out the game with the intent that earned them their place on the competition’s biggest stage.
Tyson Lever (116 ranking points), Harry Power (106) and recently crowned Henderson Medallist Jake Egan (100) were the only three Lions to reach 100 or more ranking points compared to the Devils’ six, highlighting further degrees of impact and separation.
The Devils’ win was the crowning glory of their most consistent season of all time having won 20/21 games including their last 20 on the trot.
While most would concede they were the team to beat from a fair way out, Jordan took nothing for granted in his fourth season in charge, fully aware of the degrees of difficulty winning the ultimate prize.
The now two-time BFNL premiership coach has signed again at the Devils for a fifth season and title defence with an impressive win/loss record – Played 77, won 59, lost 18.
To cap off the Devils' afternoon, club captain Brett Bewley was awarded the Roy Edward Memorial Trophy while Nick Hind claimed the AFL Victoria Best on Ground medal.
Lions’ coach Matty White will take plenty of positives out of a season that saw them win seven of eight games at the back end to surge into a grand final.
Unfortunately, their nemesis, like many teams in 2025, were the Devils, with four losses from as many meets by an average just shy of 32 points.
COACHES’ VERDICT
Dan Jordan (Darley)
"Really proud of the boy’s performance, especially early. We wanted to focus on pressure, and I thought we did that particularly in the first quarter and we wanted to turn that into opportunity. Our ability to lock the ball in our forward half was important and we were able to do that after we straightened a few things up and hit the scoreboard. While we didn't know what 'par' was with the breeze at quarter time we knew had played some pretty good footy. Thereafter it was time to defend against a team that we thought had endured to hard finals and it was going to ask a lot of them. I thought we defended well, protected our lead and I’m extremely proud of the boys and the club for what we've been able to achieve."
Matt White (Sunbury)
"Darley are a very good side and proved that again today. Congratulations to Dan and his boys on the win. I'm very proud of our boys and the season we've had. We're still relatively young and we will be better for the experience and can't wait to bounce back next year and see what we can bring. While disappointing today, on the whole the Sunbury Football Netball Club has had an excellent year."
