South Morang have prevailed in an all-time classic in the MC Labour Division 2 qualifying final, overcoming Diamond Creek by six-points in extra time at Epping Recreational Reserve.
After the Lions led by four straight majors in the second quarter, a stunning Creekers comeback saw them hit the front in the last term, before the two sides traded blows in the dying moments of regular time.
With scores level at the beginning of time-on, a Koby Davies set-shot goal beckoned to be the deciding goal, until Ben Major roosted the ball from outside 50 metres which went right in the middle of the big sticks, to tie up the scores at 67 points apiece.
Chaos and half-chances ensued, but no team could manage a score before the siren confirmed the anxiety of extra-time across the field of 36 exhausted players.
Chances were fleeting in the two three-minute halves that followed, with Joshua Lansfield’s set-shot goal proving to be the knockout blow which clinched a dramatic 10.13 (73) to 10.7 (67) victory for the Lions.
The result snaps a 10-game winning streak for Diamond Creek and sees them face the winner of tomorrow’s elimination final between Lower Plenty and Thomastown, while South Morang await a mouthwatering second-semi final clash with Whittlesea for a place in the Grand Final
It was the Lions’ inclusions which made the difference, with Joshua D’Intinosante enjoying a five-goal haul in his return from the Coburg VFL side, utilising his party-tricks to dazzle the Creekers defence.
Captain Tye Hall also flourished, playing a key-role against Jacob Booth in midfield while also making numerous contributions in defence and attack.
Kobe van Zwienen created immense tackling pressure and proved to be a vital cog in the transition ball-movement for the Lions, working tirelessly alongside James Traianou and Bailey Brown.
Booth finished as his side’s best player and kicked two massive second half goals to help Diamond Creek force extra time, while Jack Empey and Joel Randall were excellent in defence, taking multiple intercept marks throughout the afternoon.
After Tom Baird kicked the game’s first major, the Lions soon asserted their dominance over the contest, as Joshua Lansfield and Joshua D’Intinosante slotted back-to-back goals.
Daniel Jarvis would soon respond with a set-shot, but it then became the D’Intinosante show.
The star forward threatened the goals with every possession and by the quarter’s end had secured another two majors to bring his tally to three.
Leading by 11 points at the first break, the Lions looked to strengthen their foothold on the match as they kicked with the wind.
18-year-old Jett McLaughlan emerged as one of the Creekers’ best performers, competing fiercely throughout the middle and forward-line, but a swarm of intensity from South Morang hamstrung Andrew Tranquilli’s men.
Backed by a strong wind, Matthew Robinson bagged the first of the term, before D’Intinosante again surfaced to claim his fourth of the match.
The Lions pummeled Diamond Creek to within their defensive half, but three consecutive behinds failed to distance the lead beyond a four-goal margin.
So, when Baird kicked his second of the match in time-on, the Creekers headed into their rooms with belief and just a three-goal deficit to chase.
After a textbook opening centre clearance and kick to the leading chest of Tyler Barnes, Diamond Creek would find themselves back within two goals.
South Morang would again wrestle back control, but their wayward goalkicking proved costly, as a further four consecutive behinds left the door open for the opponents.
Finally, Koby Davies ended the Lion’s hoodoo of seven behinds without a goal, but Jacob Booth’s brilliantly launched kick from outside 50 again kept the Creekers breathing down their neck.
Dale Marshall began to run rampant, and the comeback began to look increasingly likely as Daniel Jarvis slotted his second, before Jack Empey claimed another to reduce the margin to just two points.
The Creekers would continue their third quarter form to start the final term, as Ben Major launched a kick on the run from just inside 50, remarkably sending his side back into the lead for the first time since the opening moments of the match.
With a breeze in their backs, South Morang regained dominance in the territory battle, but the Lions fans would have to wait through another string of consecutive behinds before Joshua D’Intinosante calmly slotted a set-shot from 30-metres to give his team the advantage again.
Jacob Booth then kicked a checkside major, reminiscent of a boomerang curve, to level the scores approaching time-on, before Koby Davies converted his set-shot to again give South Morang the lead.
Ben Major would then mark on the pain of the 50-metre arc, and against the wind, he faced a monumental task to keep his side in the hunt, however, with an incredibly clean drop-punt, Major easily cleared the line of players on the goal-line and drew the game level once again.
The ball dabbled in the forward-line of both sides, but chaotic last ditch defending saved the day each time, and an unsettling hush fell upon the ground as the final siren sounded.
Both sides had only a brief moment to pick themselves up after 120-minutes of bone-crunching football, because with extra-time allocated at just two three-minutes halves, every score could prove to be the winner.
Hence, the roar was electric when Joshua Lansfield freed himself from his opponent and marked 30 metres from goal directly in front. The 23-year-old took his moment to put his side ahead and the Lions ended the first period of extra-time up by a goal.
Knowing they only had to defend for a few minutes, South Morang put hoards of players behind the ball and slowed play at every opportunity. Diamond Creek committed their whole team forward, but in the congestion and panic of the closing moments, clean possession was nearly impossible.
With the ball rattling along the outskirts of the Creekers forward 50, the siren rang for the final time, marking an astonishing victory for South Morang and ending one of the most memorable NFNL finals matches in recent memory.
