Relief.
That would be the overwhelming feeling permeating throughout the town of Mansfield after its Eagles claimed a thrilling 15-point win over Mooroopna in the Goulburn Valley League second semi-final on Sunday.
Struggling in front of the sticks all day long, it took until the final 10 minutes for the Eagles to break the brave Cats, with a pair of vital fourth-quarter majors to spearhead Cameron Arnold proving decisive in the 8.10 (58) to 7.1 (43) victory.
This came after Mooroopna did not register a behind in the first three quarters, and as a result led by 17 points at half-time, while Mansfield peppered the sticks for the majority of proceedings.
Jack Hutchins was the star of the show, keeping Cats star recruit Jackson Trengove goalless, while the likes of Jimmy Herridge, Corey Rich and Tom McDonagh led the way through the middle with dominant performances.
The loss brings to an end a fairytale 2022 campaign for Moooroopna, which qualified for its first finals series in eight years.
As gloomy skies reigned above Kyabram Recreation Reserve, it was a tense start to proceedings in the second semi-final, with both teams hitting the contest hard early.
But as the first term wore on, the class and experience of the Eagles began to win out, as they dominated field position and didn’t give the young Cats an inch.
In what was a clinical period of football, just one thing plagued Chad Owens’ men — their inability to put the ball between the big sticks.
From six shots on goal, Mansfield registered just 1.5 to go into the first change 11 points up.
And after a quarter-time rev-up by coach John Lamont, the dormant Cats roared to life.
As has been the case all year long, star spearhead Chris Nield got Mooroopna rolling, putting its first score on the board early in the second term.
Darcy Russell then doubled the dose, before two more to Nield truly put the pressure on Mansfield.
The Eagles managed to get control back in general play, but more inaccurate kicking again opened the door for Mooroopna, with a long-range finish by livewire Lucas Caccaviello extending Mooroopna’s lead to 17 by the main change.
Staring directly at a straight sets exit, the weight of the world was on Mansfield as the third term began.
And to its credit, it responded with a dominant quarter.
Getting on top around the ball, the Eagles were finally able to turn their opportunities into scores, with two majors to Ben Christopher and a single to Corey Rich giving them a three-point lead at the final change.
Riding a wave of momentum, Mansfield opened the scoring in the final term as a free kick allowed Cody George to kick the first of the day to the scoreboard end.
But the spirit of the Cats would not let them lie down, as Russell answered with a long range set shot to trim the margin back to three.
With the game on a knife’s edge, it needed somebody to stand up and take it by the scruff of the neck.
After not registering a goal for three quarters, Arnold was that man for Mansfield.
In a devastating five-minute burst, the spearhead got on the end of some slick transition to put the Eagles ahead by eight, before taking a towering contested mark to push the lead beyond two goals.
That was the straw that broke the camel’s back, as Mansfield held its nerve through the final minutes to win by 15 points.
The Eagles will now face Euroa at Deakin Reserve next Sunday for a spot in the GVL grand final.