THE scores were level 45-all with just seconds on the clock after a super-thrilling preliminary final between Leongatha and Moe in the Gippsland League A Grade game on Saturday at Morwell.
And ultimately it was an umpire's call which put the ball back in Leongatha's hands, deep in the Moe goal-third, but they still had to transition the full length of the court to get the go-ahead goal.
It was frenetic, it was thrilling, it was unbearable as they moved it down the court and got the shot up but it lipped out in a strong cross wind and two Moe defenders went up for the rebound sandwiching Leongatha's goal attack Hannah Flanders. However with a tenacious lunge at the ball, Flanders took possession with the game, and a place in the grand final on the line, and then made the shot count... siren, pandemonium!
What a game it had been with Leongatha and Moe well matched but with the Lions strengthened by the inclusion of Collingwood squad player Ramayer Gourley in goals and she almost turned the game in Moe's favour.
Leongatha's key defenders Laura Higgins and Lauren Redpath were nonetheless fantastic boxing the tall, athletic Gourley out at every forward entry, trying to force her away from goal to at least make her shots tough in the difficult conditions but with a significant height advantage, she was equal to the task and hardly missed a shot.
Fortunately Jess Edgar, named the best-on-court and Hannah Flanders were just as good, as a team, under the Leongatha goal ring and they went goal for goal with the Moe attack, at times getting it out to a three, four and even a five-goal lead but each time Moe came back, getting a swing of three on an intercept and then taking it back for the next centre pass to even it up.
It was an unbelievable contest and the skills on display were all the more meritorious for the difficulties the strong cross-wind produced with passes spot on from both teams and the shots on goal surprisingly good as well, although the wind did impact the goal at the highway-end of the court more at times.
In a see-saw affair, Leongatha got their noses in front at the right time, and hardened by the experience, they go up against the strong Morwell combination again next Saturday in the grand final at Moe.
