Sparks to climb the mountain one more time!

“Keep the engine running, keep the kettle boiling!”

“Dream, believe, achieve.”

“Climb the mountain one more time.”

The sayings of Shane “Sparks” Lenon were emblazoned on hand-made signs placed on trees at strategic intervals alongside the Sturt Highway from Collingullie to Narrandera (80 kilometres) on Riverina Football League grand final day 2024. (You can watch his iconic three-quarter-time speech here.)

Sparks is renowned for his inspirational rev-ups to his teams in twenty-seven years of coaching in the Riverina. And it’s been stunning successful, yielding (to date) 10 premierships.

The 2024 RFL premiership success for Collingullie was made even sweeter for Shane because it was over his hometown club, Ganmain Grong Grong Matong (GGGM), that was unbeaten all season and had beaten the ‘Gullie’ at their previous eight encounters including three finals.

And to use his own words, he is going to “Climb the mountain one more time”. Shane and his 2024 premiership co-coach Nick Perryman are coaching the ‘Gullie again in 2025.

Earlier this year Shane Lenon was inducted into the inaugural AFL NSW Hall of Fame. At the time of inauguration his premiership tally stood at 12. It’s now 13 and counting. As a coach and/or player, Shane has played in a stunning 10 premiership winning teams.

The best win

According to Sparks the sweetest premiership of all was in 2014 when the ’Gullie edged out traditional rivals and red-hot favourites Mangoplah CUE by 13 points after trailing by 37 points half-way through the second quarter.
“It was a pretty special day. We had no bench and had lost players with injury all through the finals series but we found a way,” Shane told me over the phone before heading out to the races in Wagga recently.

Two future AFL stars starred in the premiership win; a 17-year-old Matt Kennedy (Giants, Carlton, and recently traded to the Western Bulldogs) and 16-year-old Harry Perryman (Giants, now Collingwood), both were drafted at the end of the season.

Sparks' long and successful footy history

Sparks commenced his football Odessey footy at Ganmain where he was a key member of the 1985 Under 19 premiership team under 1962 Carlton’s Coleman medalist Tom Carroll.

His subsequent senior footy career at Ganmain GGM, Myrtleford, North Albury, Lockhart, Collingullie, and Marrar has yielded an astonishing resume that is unmatched in Riverina football, and maybe in NSW.

As a player he won eight club best and fairest awards – winning at least one at every club he played for.

Additionally, he represented Riverina, Ovens & Murray, Hume and Farrer leagues as well as NSW.

He won four competition best and fairest awards – Riverina Football League (1992 & 2003), Hume league (1998), and Farrer league (2001).

What's the secret to Spark's stunning success?

"Building trust and belief in the playing group is the key to success," he told me. "But you've still got to do the work! Plus you need talent.”

“Everybody at the footy club must be aligned. Players, officials, trainers, physios, volunteers, even the netballers. Everyone. It’s vital for the coach to have a good working relationship with the president. I have been fortunate to work with some great club presidents,” he told me.

When I asked him for his greatest learning from coaching football clubs Sparks reflected on his first coaching job at Lockhart and the one-point loss to Osborne after leading up until the last minute in the 1999 grand final.
 

“I leant a lot from that defeat, the main one being that even if you do everything right, in tight finishes you need a touch of luck,” he said.

It was quite a learning because of the thirteen premierships he has been involved in – seven were won by under a goal!

SPARKS’ INCREDIBLE PREMIERSHIP RUN

Picture: Shane Lenon celebrates the 2024 Riverina Football League Premiership with the Collingullie-Wagga Demons. Credit: Les Smith/The Daily Advertiser