A YOUNG and largely unknown Doveton side issued Casey Cardinia League rivals with a reminder that it intended to play a major role in the 2007 premiership race on Saturday.

The Doves overpowered previously undefeated top side Pakenham by 24 points on the back of a withering third term in which the Lions were kept scoreless, despite having an extra player on the park, thanks to the send-off of Doveton captain Clint Wilson.

Excited coach Steve Henwood branded his side as one of the most ‘coachable’ he had been involved with in his long and illustrious career.

“I gave them the challenge at half-time,” he said.

“I just told them that we had 17 men for the next 20 minutes so we had the excuse if we wanted to use it. But it was our ground and we set out to win this match and even with what happened to us, (losing our captain), that was still the aim.

“The boys were brilliant in the third quarter.”

Players including Jason McCloy, Michael Henry, Shannon Henwood, his brother Aaron, their cousin Andrew, David Welling, Daniel Zarjac, Ryan Pearson, Simon Black and Michael Laszyzk are hardly household names, even at the Robinson Reserve.

Yet they took up Henwood’s challenge and led the way to defeat the Lions and set up a massive clash with Narre Warren in this weekend’s grand-final replay.

Conditions were perfect and a big crowd attended the game in which the Lions entered as warm favourites, despite the away venue.

The game lived up to expectations from the start with the Doves using a slight breeze and taking the initiative to push the ball forward to key forwards David George and Ryan Brown, who were marked up by Lion defenders Joel Padley and Nathan Lieshout.

Inaccuracy cost the Doves a bigger lead than 10 points at quarter time and the Lions rallied in the second term.

Pakenham prime movers including coach Michael Holland, half-back David Sheahan, Tom O’Loughlin and Jared Goldsack started to get their hands on the ball first and pressure the Doveton running players.

Doveton lost composure for 10 minutes towards the end of the second term and there were danger signs for the home team after Holland goaled with the aid of a doubtful 50-metre penalty to put Pakenham in front.

Things got worse for the home side when a seemingly innocuous scuffle on the wing resulted in Wilson being reported for allegedly kicking Holland and sent from the ground for the rest of the match (under a red card).

Under a new interpretation of the rule, the offending player can be replaced after 30 minutes, however, the momentum was with the Lions and the advantage was decidedly with the visitors as they entered the half-time break with a five-point lead.

Henwood’s ability as a coach of personalities as much as footballers was tested at the main break and his charges responded in the best way possible.

With Nathan Wilson, Andrew Henwood and McCloy dominating across half-back and nuggetty midfielder Kim Aboujaber creating drive, the Doves lifted to a new level and kicked four goals while keeping the Lions scoreless in a match-winning term.

Holland acknowledged the effort as the turning point in the game.

“That’s as good as I’ve seen a side do a number on us with 17 players,” he said.

“It was a courageous effort. They are only a young group and still learning the game, so to do that is fantastic for them. They won more contested ball and they wanted it more than we did, it’s that simple.”

The Lions did not lie down and made a run at their opponents in the last quarter, but never really threatened the Doves’ lead.

A great example of the young Doves’ desperation was demonstrated when, with only two minutes left and the game well and truly iced, teenage ruckman Daniel Zarjac desperately ran down Goldsack who was bursting through the middle, to create a turnover.

The effort resulted in a goal to fellow young gun Ryan Pearson and Henwood said that was a fitting end to one of the best home-and-away wins he had been involved in at the club in recent memory.

“It was just a very pleasing effort from a young group who proved they are up to the challenge,” he said.

“We’ve stuck with them as we said we would do and it’s working for us.

“We know we’ve still got plenty more up our sleeves with guys like Davy George and Ricky Hayes also getting better as they get fitter, so we’re in a pretty good position now.”

Henwood said the nucleus of a good side was always there and the newer players had come on better and quicker than expected.

“We still retained a good spine and knew we could build on that. We are doing that quickly,” he said.

“We were very fortunate to pick up Kim Aboujaber, who is a work horse, with Aaron Henwood as our ruck-rovers. Michael Henry and Michael Laszyzk have come on well and Jason McCloy has stepped up too.

“There’s still a fair way to go, but they are maturing quickly and they have to in this competition,” he said.

Holland said the game was a timely lesson for his side that they could not get ahead of themselves and praised Doveton’s ability to sustain their effort under pressure.

“I thought we could have been a couple more up at half-time, but in the second half especially, they followed team instructions better than us and when the pressure was applied a lot of our instructions went out the door,” he said.

“That’s something that we have to learn as a group and I have to learn as a coach. Our aim is to continually improve and we didn’t do that in any area.

“Whenever you come to this place (Robinson Reserve) you are always in for a contest and that’s the way it should be. We want to play against the best every week, but in saying that when you do meet the best you have to bring your A-game every time and we didn’t bring that today.”