CONDITIONS didn't lend themselves to the type of scoreboard impact they might have liked, but brothers Matt and Darren Bradshaw couldn't have cared less on Sunday afternoon.
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Arm-in-arm with premiership medallions around their necks, it didn't matter that the duo had only mustered one goal between them.
After finally getting the chance to play side-by-side in a premiership win, victory couldn't have been sweeter.
I love sharing the forward line with Darren, I feel a lot more confident when I’ve got him in there with me.
- Matt Bradshaw
“It feels pretty good, there’ll be a pretty good celebration coming,” Matt said.
“I love sharing the forward line with Darren, I feel a lot more confident when I’ve got him in there with me.
“He’s good at talking direction.”
You could tell the duo were related when Darren chipped in.
“I tend to tell him to push up a little bit, get him to make some room for me in the goalsquare,” he said.
The younger Bradshaw had a chance to go down in Federal folklore mid-way through the last quarter, climbing high for a stunning pack mark 20 metres out and directly in front of goal.
But he missed the shot, later saying his radar had been a bit off.
“I said to a few of the boys, I’d never have been seen again if we hadn’t have won,” Matt said.
“I kicked four behinds for the day and all of them were easy goals.
“I will say though, I kicked four points and we won by three.
“Arguably that’s won us the game.”
The family name has long been associated with success.
Dual-premiership older sibling Daniel’s exploits at AFL level are well-documented, while Darren also spent time with the Brisbane Lions before making a name for himself in the SANFL.
While the three played together at Howlong a few years ago, it seems unlikely that they’ll appear on the same field again.
With the trio’s football careers taking different paths for such a long time, Darren said it was nice to enjoy Saturday’s victory with his family in tow.
“I’m a little bit older than Matt, I’m getting a bit long in the tooth so to be able to play with him over the last few years has been a great opportunity,” he said.
For Matt, being able to share some success with his sibling was a dream come true.
“Daniel and Darren have been able to play at higher levels, so we didn’t really get to play together until Dan retired from Sydney,” he said.
“It would have been good to do that with Wodonga but it didn’t quite come to fruition.
“I had a few mates out here in Brett Ohlin and a couple of others, so we twisted his arm a bit to get Darren out here.
“It turned out to be a pretty good decision in the end.”
The Bradshaw brothers helped Federal to a three-point grand final win over fierce rivals Corryong.
It was the Swans’ first premiership since they last won it in 2007.