Sport
'The weight of the Goulburn Valley on our shoulders’: Stacey Collier and Mark Ryan claim mixed pairs glory at Victorian Open
From orchestrating countless premiership triumphs to being inducted into the Goulburn Murray Bowls Region Hall of Fame Stacey Collier and Mark Ryan have been synonymous with bowls in the region for the past 20 years.
Having been great friends from the age of 15, they have been there to cheer each other on throughout their storied careers and teamed up with great success at a number of tournaments during the years.
Although there have been countless magical moments during their respective journeys, the events of the 2022 Victorian Open mixed pairs final at Shepparton Park on Wednesday could well have topped them all.
Coming together to compete in the final Victorian Open to be held in the Goulburn Valley, Collier and Ryan held the hopes of the region on their shoulders as they blitzed through a field chock-a-block with talented competitors.
The stage was set for a thrilling final, with Nicole Shortis (Leopold) and Callen Indenberg (Drysdale), the only thing standing in their way of a fairytale finish.
What happened next was 15 ends of pulsating drama, with the local heroes finding themselves seven shots down and headed towards an agonising tumble at the final hurdle.
This is where Ryan picked up the story.
“At 10-3 down we were well and truly on the ropes, a lot of things weren’t going right at the start and, to be honest, it seemed like it wasn’t meant to be,” Ryan said.
“But we just said ‘we are seven down with six ends to go, we have 18 bowls each, anything can happen if we put our minds to it’.
“And that’s what we did, we just kept believing until the end and incredibly won the last six ends to come pull off an extraordinary comeback.”
A result that shocked the packed crowd at the Shepparton Park precinct, he said the atmosphere was incredible as the boisterous crowd cheered the pair home.
“The atmosphere was amazing, it was just so good, it could not have gone any better with the crowd there cheering us on,” Ryan said.
“It felt like we had the weight of the Goulburn Valley on our shoulders and that lifted us up and carried us to the win.
“When the game was over it was just an absolute buzz, both Stacey and I and the crowd were in total shock, there aren’t many better feelings than winning something like that.”
Collier, who is widely-regarded as one of the region’s best ever bowls talents, echoed that satisfaction with this being a fine ending to her storied Victorian Open career in the Goulburn Valley.
“It sure was satisfying to win, last time we played together in the Vic Open was right before COVID-19 and we had a pretty good run then, but unfortunately I had to get a sub for one of the games and we didn’t progress any further,” Collier said.
“But coming into the one this year it was like this is the last one in the GV, we can do this.
“We battled hard throughout the whole tournament, had an amazing run with some very entertaining games and capped it off with the victory.”
She said being able to share the triumph with Ryan was something she would cherish.
“We’ve been good mates for many years and it’s nice to have a chance to play pairs together and to come home with the win was a bonus,” she said.
“This win was certainly one of the ones I will remember forever, I have represented Victoria and Australia and had great success on that stage.
“But in terms of satisfying wins this is right up there (in my career).”
Ryan shared that view, with the victory being among the highlights of his storied career.
“I’ve won the singles and I’ve won the pairs before, but to add a mixed pairs title alongside a long time friend it is really pleasing,” Ryan said.
“In terms of my career this win is right up there, Vic Open titles like this don’t come around too often and to win in the final tournament in the Goulburn Valley, it’s something I’ll cherish forever.”