For the first time since 2015, Reservoir have banked two wins in the same season after coming from behind to defeat Lalor by six points in a Heidelberg Golf Club Division 3 thriller at Crispe Park.
Both sides mirrored one another in skill and determination in what was a tough fought contested match, with a goal in the final minutes being all that was needed for the Mustangs to pull away for their second win in five years, overcoming the Bloods for a 10.8 (68) to 9.8 (62) victory.
It now gives Reservoir a two-game gap from the winless Lalor and will now be more than likely to avoid their fifth consecutive wooden spoon.
Jack Smith steered the Mustang midfield back to form, with the likes of Robert Holland and John Abouhalia stepping up to deliver blistering performances.
Midfielders Jake Langborne and Jarryd Baldasso were among Lalor’s best as well as Ned Hawkins who opened the game up with riveting clearance work. Dylan Cawsey kicked four crucial majors to keep the visitors in the match.
Jason Cousins kicked off proceedings for the visitors, kicking the opening goal of the match.
Reservoir’s Thomas Dunn, being one of the sides best on the day, would stamp his first impact on the game with a goal of his own, soon followed by Nelson MacDonald in similar set-shot fashion that resulted in an early 12-point Mustang lead.
A relentless Bloods midfield would take charge for the majority of the second term, with their defensive wall allowing them to keep the ball in their half while making the way for more forward opportunities.
Those opportunities would soon become goals to thanks to Jaidyn Curzi, Dylan Cawsey and Nadem Taha, all kicking a major each to lift their side to a 16-point lead.
Eamon Maloney was able to break the Lalor momentum, with his intercept mark leading to a Mustangs major before Cawsey electrified the crowd with a snap at goal 40-metres out to maintain the Bloods lead.
Each team would proceed to kick one more major each before the end of the half, with the Bloods attaining a 13-point lead.
A drastic momentum shift took prominence in the third term, with Billy Tsolacos and Taylor Bryant both converting on majors in the first five-minutes, followed by a great finish from Jack Smith to give the Mustangs their first lead since the opening quarter.
But Lalor continued to challenge, with Cawsey proving to be a spark for his side yet again.
The 20-year-old booted a goal out of the ruck before snapping another at the sound of the three-quarter time siren to not only cap off his excellent four-goal game, but to place a one-goal lead back in favour of Lalor.
The lead remained the same early in the final term, with both teams registering a goal before a fatigue driven scoring drought that would make the final minutes all the more gruelling.
In what might have been the highlight of not just the match but the entire round, Dunn would break away from a tackle giving him space for a two-bounce stride to the boundary that saw the ball glide through for a major that gave the Mustangs a much needed one-point lead.
With the final minutes ticking, Nathan King delivered an entry to a leading Moloney who kicked true on his milestone game. It would be the deciding goal in the Mustangs 6-point win.
In their first win at home since 2015, the Reservoir faithful rejoiced at the final siren.
