By LIAM TWOMEY
MARC Bullen has been there and done that in his football career.
So when the former Essendon AFL player throws out a statement like this, “I won’t hold back in saying this, he is the best defender in suburban football,” it is worth taking notice.
The player he is talking about, Deer Park full back Jackson Barling who is one of the main reasons Bullen and his Lions’ teammates are now WRFL premiership players.
In the closing stages of Saturday’s grand-final, Barling was tasked with the job of playing on Spotswood’s Jason Cloke and showed why his coach has such a high opinion of him.
Barling stood tall on the last line of defence and in doing so, helped deliver his side a flag.
“His commitment to the football club and his support for me has just gone through the roof,” Bullen said.
“What he does on a Tuesday and a Thursday, he just drives these guys.
“We have got an analogy that I have been using for the last six weeks which is squeezing the lemon. He is there getting every last drop out of the playing group.
“He was fantastic today. Cloke is a super player and (Murray) Boyd is a super player. We were very conscious of their forwards and Jackson was first class.”
Barling’s job was made even harder after fellow defender Sam Hunt was forced to pull out of the match with an injury.
But after helping his side claw their way back from 41 points down in the second quarter, the man of the moment highlighted the never-say-die attitude of his teammates as the key to reaching the ultimate success.
“I am pretty overwhelmed really,” he said.
“It was an amazing finish and to come from that far down is amazing.
“The blokes around us never gave up. Our motto all week was harder for longer which we didn’t do in the first final against Spotty. They just drilled it into us all week and we were able to do it today. It is an unreal feeling.
“I’ve played in a couple (of premierships) in 09 and 10 at Maribyrnong Park. They were at Windy Hill in front of a massive crowd and I always thought they would be tough to beat, but today goes down as one of the greats.”
