COACHES typically inspire with their words, but for Maitland this year, the actions of Michael Bolch just to be there for the Magpies after a horrific and life-threatening battle with illness have been their driving force.
Before the Northern NSW NPL men's season kicked off, Bolch spent three months in hospital fighting severe septicemia, coupled with COVID-19, after hurting his ankle.
He was in intensive care for several weeks and there were moments it was feared he would not survive.
But after pulling through a harrowing battle of pain and isolation, Bolch was there for Maitland's first game against Cooks Hill at No.2 Sportsground - three days after leaving hospital.
Although still struggling at the start of a recovery expected to take at least 12 months, Bolch kept up his record of never missing a game in 25 years of coaching.
Twenty matches later, the Magpies celebrated just their second top-division premiership and now meet Lambton Jaffas in the grand final on Sunday at No.2 Sportsground.
After losses in the past two deciders for Maitland, co-captain James Thompson said Bolch's courageous and unexpected return to coach was driving the Magpies towards the club's first top-division title double.
"It's almost made out to be our year," Thompson said.
"For someone like Bolchy, who everyone in the comp loves, and he's just an amazing person to have around our club ... if we could go out and get this done for him, because football is his escape ... so hopefully we can.
"No one thought he was going to come back and to be back as quick as he was, it was wild.
"And it rubs off on the team as well, because he wants to be there so bad.
"Everyone just lifts and finds that extra gear, which hopefully we can do this weekend."
Bolch admitted it had been an extremely tough year and he was unsure early in the season if he would coach on.
He said, though, that he was on the improve and football had provided a much-needed outlet. He praised the work of assistants Gavin Wolfe and Nick Webb for steering the ship, especially in pre-season and the early rounds.
Bolch, however, was focused on Sunday's game, where he hopes to break a run of five grand final defeats as a coach across stints at Maitland, Olympic and Phoenix.
Experienced Magpies sides lost the 2020 and 2019 deciders to Edgeworth. This year, gun striker Braedyn Crowley, with 28 goals, and Thompson, with 14 goals and 19 assists, have led a far younger line-up to the premiership and Bolch said confidence in the squad was high.
"We had some good experience back then but this year our key players are all 23 to 25, that good age bracket," Bolch said. "If we can defend well as a unit, we've got goals in us.
"The last three games we've beaten Edgy 3-1, Jaffas 3-1 and Magic 4-1, so we're in a rich vein of form and the boys can carry that confidence into the grand final."
He believed his group had been underestimated all year, especially unsung youngsters like Joey Melmeth, Charlie Cox, Flynn Goodman, Lachlan Webb and Ty Paulson.
"The young boys have just kept stepping up, so I'm sure they will be ready for the challenge," he said.
He acknowledged, though, that the key for Jaffas was stopping his strike pairing.
"At the start of the year Crowley said he had the target of 30 goals, and he's only two away, and you'd be a brave man to bet against him not getting there this weekend," he said.
"He's scored five hat-tricks this year and he and Jimmy have carried us to where we are and I'd expect them to step up again on the big day.
"The partnership they have struck up is the best I've seen in 25 years. Just the synergy between the two of them."
Thompson, however, remains under an injury cloud after missing the 4-1 victory over Broadmeadow with an ankle injury two weeks ago.
Bolch expects no quarter to be given to Thompson from the physical Jaffas defence and said "if he's not up to playing, he won't play, and if he's right, he starts".
"We won't give it a full test until game day and we'll give him every chance to play," he said. "He seems pretty confident in himself, and the physio is pretty confident he'll be able to play some role.
"But everyone is buzzing and ready to go. We beat Magic 4-1 without Jimmy so we proved we can still compete at the highest level without him. But obviously he'd be a brilliant inclusion and a brilliant lift for the boys."
