In one of the most exciting grand final finishes in recent AFL Sapphire Coast history, Bermagui and Eden played out a low scoring epic in the Under 16’s Youth Girls at Narooma on Saturday.
After a close encounter for most of the game at Bill Smyth Oval, Eden was up by four points with around 90 seconds remaining in the game, before Bermagui’s Jayda Hulme, took matters into her own hands.
“I didn’t know how long was left in the game or anything, I just picked up the ball, put it on my boot and just hoped for the best, and it went in,” Hulme told East Coast Radio with a chuckle.
“I looked over at the scoreboard and the goal put us two points up with just over a minute left in the game,” she said.
“All of us ‘Bermi’ girls were just looking around at each other in disbelief. I was in shock, I was like, I just kicked the winning goal.”
The Eden Whalers who fought hard all day, pressed in the final stages, trying to hit the scoreboard one last time but Bermagui’s Makala Jayne Tebbutt laid a potential game-saving tackle late in the match to stop one of those forward movements in the dying moments of the grand final.
Just seconds later, the siren sounded to give the Bermagui Breakers its first ever Under 16’s Youth Girls Premiership.
“We were so excited, as that was the first time we’d ever beaten Eden in a grand final, as the Youth Girls competition has only been running three years, and the final was cancelled due to COVID the first year, Eden won it last year but this year we actually did it,” Hulme said.
“When the siren went, we all ran to the middle of the field, to have a big hug, and we were all just like stacks on.”
That was despite the ground announcer, asking everyone not to run onto the the middle of the ground, who Jayda said the team couldn’t hear due to the excited screams!
“It was crazy.”
Jayda went on to thank her “amazing” coach, Katlyn Scott, and her teammates, singling out the best on ground performance of Natalia Egan.
“Without her being like a brick wall in defence, and without the efforts of all the girls, my goal wouldn’t have counted for anything,” Hulme said.
“I’m so grateful to my team who are like one big family and to our coach, Katlyn, who has done an amazing job.”
Hulme attends Eden Marine High School but plays Australian Rules Football with Bermagui as that’s where her brother and sister play.
The Year 11 student said she felt pretty good going to school on Monday after stealing victory from many of her classmates.
“I thought about wearing my medal to school but I didn’t want to rub it in too hard,” Jayda laughed.
“I want to give a shoutout to my parents for driving me to footy games every week and to all the helpers at ‘Bermi’ and everyone who gets around the club.”
Jayda and a number of her fellow Under 16’s and Under 17’s Breakers players will move up to play seniors football in 2024.
Images/Videos: Bermagui Breakers
