Nagambie has delivered the first major shock of the 2022 Kyabram District League post-season, upsetting Violet Town by 10 points in a thrilling elimination final at Lancaster Recreation Reserve on Sunday.
The Lakers proved why they have been the most successful KDL club of the past decade, rising to the finals occasion and running over the top of an ultra-talented Towners line-up to come away 16.11 (107) to 15.7 (97) winners.
And while its wealth of finals experience proved critical in the finish, it was a young gun making his first appearance on the post-season stage who stole the show for Nagambie, with Jonathan Moore’s six goals proving to be the difference between the two sides.
It was a match that delivered constant drama from beginning to end and Nagambie coach Tyrone Muir said the victory was one of the most satisfying in his time at the club.
“This win ranks pretty highly in my career at Nagambie. It was probably the closest final I’ve ever played in,” Muir said.
“We finished seventh and they won three more games than us, so to come in as underdogs and win was awesome.
“It was pretty close for most of the day. They got out to a bit of a three-goal lead around half-time and then we were able to slowly peg them back.
“In the end it was about who could stand up in the last quarter and take their opportunities, and to the boys’ credit they did exactly that.
“We’ve got seven or eight blokes in our side that have played in a lot of finals and premierships, so it was good to lean on them. They aren’t going to panic and know what it takes to win big games and they were huge for us.”
Coming off a 134-point hammering at the hands of Shepparton East last week, Nagambie came into this clash with a point to prove and started the match accordingly with a blistering first term.
Booting five goals, the Lakers’ speed caused all sorts of problems for the Towners, with the exploits of spearhead Jack Exell, who finished with eight goals, the only thing keeping them afloat as the margin sat at 10 points at the first change.
Violet Town flipped the script in the second term, booting six goals to take command of the contest, with Exell heading into the sheds with a cool half-a-dozen majors to his name.
Trailing by 19 at the beginning of the third term, Nagambie mustered all of its finals experience to work its way back into the contest, as it began to use its speed to outwork Violet Town and create scoring opportunities.
“Jack Exell is probably the most dangerous forward in the competition, and he had six at half-time, so the main focus to begin the second half was stopping him,” Muir said.
“We just tried to work hard defensively and limit his space and it seemed to work, limiting him to only two in the second half.
“From there we also got our running game going after half-time, our young boys really lifted and I think our willingess to attack with our ball movement was so important in getting us back in the game.”
With the Lakers cutting the margin to just six points at the final change, the game was set for a grandstand finish.
And as they have done so often over the past decade, the Lakers got it done.
With the play pin-balling from end to end and both teams riding waves of momentum, the experience of Nagambie allowed it to get in front midway through the last term and stay there.
In an exhibition in closing out a final, the Lakers kicked one last goal for good measure late in the piece, securing the famous finals victory.
Muir praised the work of Moore, whose six goals saw him take best-on-ground honours.
“Jono Moore in his first senior final kicked six for us and was just a really good focal point for us in attack,” Muir said.
“Trent Laverie has been really good all year and put in another great performance, while Blake and Nathan Fothergill were also great on the day.
“But overall, it was a great team performance and everyone put in. We had no passengers, which probably gave us the advantage over Violet Town.”
The Lakers will now enjoy a week off before facing the loser of the Murchison-Toolamba and Lancaster game in a cutthroat semi-final at Central Park Recreation Reserve.
Muir said confidence within his team was sky high as it continued to charge towards the pointy end of the season.
“We are a pretty confident group and, with a week off now, we feel we will be right up for a big semi-final,” he said.
“We should get a few back as well, which is even better, and hopefully we can just continue to play better footy.”
Minor premier Avenel will be in action this weekend as it faces Stanhope in an intriguing qualifying final at Rushworth Recreation Reserve.