Murchison-Toolamba captain James Milne celebrates one of his four goals for the day.
Photo by
Megan Fisher
After its stunning 27-game winning streak came to an end, Murchison-Toolamba faced another fierce challenge, testing its resilience for the second week running.
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The Hoppers watched as Shepparton East, sensing blood in the water, streaked away to an unanswered 33-point lead, with Jordan Gattuso running rampant and co-captain Ryan Pfeiffer booting two goals.
Hoppers captain James Milne saved them the ignominy of a scoreless quarter with a late goal, but it did nothing to sate Hoppers coach Brett Foley, whose booming and furious demand for a response could be heard around Central Park.
It had the intended effect, setting up a grandstand finish to the second edition of the Kyabram District League grand final rematch.
“We were nowhere in the first quarter,” Foley said post-game.
“We were just ball-watching, which is how we played the week before against Lancaster.
“After quarter-time, we got the ball on our terms and started moving the footy our way; maybe it needed just a kick up the a**e for the boys to get it on our terms.”
Dylan Baker, Milne and Leigh Wellington booted three goals in as many minutes and a fracas on the wing saw George Brisbane capitalise downfield to pull the Hoppers within a point.
Lachy Keady and Jaycob Kerambrun steadied for Shepparton East, but leading goal-kicker James Lloyd’s first goal of the day and one for an industrious Ash Cashion ensured scores were tied 46 apiece at half-time.
Lloyd and Dylan Webster-Mill traded goals to start the third term, but two further goals to Milne, one a chase-down tackle and set shot conversion and another a long bomb from near the arc, saw the Hoppers open a one-goal advantage at the final break.
Webster-Mill’s third goal of the day tied things up once again, but another holding the ball inside-50, this time instigated by Baker, saw the Hoppers back out to a goal as attrition began to take hold for the Eagles.
Gattuso sent the Eagles faithful into raptures after pouncing on an errant handball in front of goal, snapping truly around the body, to hand the lead back to Shepparton East.
But with the game still in the balance and heading towards a tense finish, forward duo Lloyd and Baker claimed back-to-back majors to send the Hoppers to a 13.7 (85) to 11.7 (73) win.
Milne was deservedly bestowed the honour of best-on-ground after his four-goal effort, while Cashion, Lachie Devine, and Lachlan Seddon were influential.
The Eagles will walk away disappointed but not without significant contributors, with Gattuso again important, while Karolidis, Pfeiffer and Jayden Dhosi worked hard.
“It’s always good to win a good game of footy like that, especially when you’re five goals down,” Foley said.
“Everything was going against us, so it was great to see they could turn it around.
“The pleasing thing was the mids; I think we got smashed last week in the midfield, so I asked for a big lift today.”
Elsewhere, Tallygaroopna dealt Violet Town’s finals hopes a blow, reeling in a two-goal deficit at three-quarter time to run out a 105-94 victor and claim its second win.
Andrew Oldfield was judged best for the Redlegs, while Brandan Hosie, Blade Larkins and Cael McCarthy booted three goals.
Nagambie’s responded to its heavy defeat to Shepparton East by claiming a gritty 23-point win over Rushworth, pushing the Tigers a game behind sixth spot.
Stanhope dealt Merrigum a 94-point defeat, but the Bulldogs faithful would have been buoyed to see milestone man Leigh Hall named in the club’s best players in his 450th game.
Meanwhile, Lancaster backed up its emphatic win over Murchison-Toolamba with a triple-figure triumph over Girgarre.
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