Having just started to get on top of the game, the Tigers held a slight 15-point lead as they turned for home, and needed one last push to secure that coveted place in the Murray Football League grand final.
With his group standing arm-in-arm, Brunskill looked the players in the eye and simply said — “we are a family”.
This has been the mantra of the Cobram Football Netball Club throughout the past decade, as it has gone about building a side full of local talent capable of competing for premiership glory.
And at the forefront of this build has been 22-year-old on-baller Luca Allen.
Playing all of his football at Cobram, Allen was a standout during his junior career, before stepping up to the senior ranks just two years ago and having an immediate impact.
His talent was on display for all to see in the semi-final win against Mulwala, as the young gun put together a prolific performance through the midfield to be one of the top performers on the day.
Now set to play in his first senior grand final, Allen said the feeling was incredible.
“It is unreal (to be in the grand final), it has been the goal for about two or three years now to get to this point and be fighting it out for a premiership on grand final day,” Allen said.
“It is awesome for the club (to be in this position), the club hasn’t had much success over the past 10 years, we’ve been down the bottom and done it the hard way.
“We haven’t recruited much either, it is all just local boys that we have backed from the juniors, and we now have just one step to go to make all that hard work worth it.”
What made Allen’s performance all the more impressive was that at the age of just 22 he was given the daunting task of captaining the club in the absence of usual skipper Sam Beasley.
But while the responsibility would overawe some, Allen said the support of his teammates made the transition an incredibly easy one.
“I was in juniors two years ago, so it is a massive step up (to be captaining the seniors in a final),” he said.
“But it is actually a pretty easy role for myself when the boys are so easygoing, we are all leaders in the group and that is what John (Brunskill) constantly talks about.
“I have played with a lot of the boys in juniors and then there are the senior boys who we all looked up to when climbing the ranks, so to play next to them and lead them out it is a real honour.”
Allen would also get the opportunity to share the day with younger brother Matteo, with the duo presenting as vital to Cobram’s chances of going all the way in 2022.
“It is awesome to be playing alongside Matteo, he’s played a fair bit of the year with the Murray Bushrangers, so to have him back for the finals has been huge,” he said.
“We may hate each other at home sometimes, but when we are playing footy together I don’t want to play with anyone else really.”
This love extends to his entire array of teammates, with the local aspect of the side making it seem like they are just one big family.
“Because the team is very much boys who have come from juniors up into seniors we have known each other for so long and created a friendship that will last a lifetime — it does feel like we are a family,” Allen said.
“While we are a young team, it certainly doesn’t feel like that and I think our connection will put us in great stead come grand final day.”
