THE disappointment of losing a second straight grand final will stick with Minyip-Murtoa during the off-season but coach Damian Cameron said he wanted his team to use that pain to come back stronger.
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“It’s obviously devastating,” he said. “It’s a long road to September – 10 or 11 months usually – but I think you can either be disappointed or you can be proud.
“I think the boys did themselves proud today. For three quarters we were really, really good but then we let them (Horsham) off the leash in the final quarter.”
After last year’s two-point grand final loss, Minyip-Murtoa looked a good chance to go one better with the wind at its back in the final quarter.
It was not to be though as Horsham managed to score three final-quarter goals to the Burras’ three behinds.
“We stopped them in that third quarter to put ourselves in a position to win the game but then they (Horsham) played really well into in the last,” Cameron said.
“They carried the footy and used it by hand; it’s a credit to them.”
He said the pain from two straight grand final losses will motivate his side during pre-season. “A lot of us have had two years in a row where we’ve been shot down before the finish line,” he said. “You hold that pain with you. That’s what gets you out of the bed to go for a run and that’s what gets you into the gym. You use that as a driving point.”
It won’t be too long before the side start thinking about the 2018 campaign. “We’ll have a bit of break to allow everyone to have a think about what has gone on as well as doing their own thing,” Cameron said. “It’s obviously been another good season for the club with four teams playing grand finals and we’ll turn up again next year to have a dip.”
