Gippsland Times |MAFFRA snatched victory from the jaws of defeat on Sunday, booting seven final quarter goals to miraculously defeat Wonthaggi by 15 points in the Gippsland League football first semi-final.
There were heroes across the ground for the Eagles, however it was youngster Kade Renooy who kicked the final two goals of the match to secure the come from behind victory, 17.9 (111) to 15.6 (96).
The Eagles left their run incredibly late, but found just enough time to pull themselves off the canvas and resurrect their 2015 season, just when it appeared to be all over.
Down by 22 points nearing time on in the final quarter, a straight sets exit from the finals race was looking a likely result for the side which finished the home-and-away season in second place.
Needing to take the game on to have any chance of victory, the Eagles were a different side in the final 15 minutes.
In hot conditions at Traralgon, the Eagles ran and pressured intently with their season on the line, while also being more decisive with football in hand than their Wonthaggi opponents.
Ruckman Trent Knobel got the ball rolling in the final term with a classy set shot, before power forward Darren Sheen kicked back-to-back majors - the second of those his 300th career goal in Maffra colours - to bring the Eagles within a kick with the clock already in the red zone.
A high hit to Daniel O'Brien at the next centre clearance saw play stopped for a few minutes, and added to the tension of the already tight contest.
When play resumed, the Eagles moved the ball forward from the free kick and went long towards a pack of players. Star defender Sam Pleming found himself with ball in hand as the pack split and bounced through the goal to give the Eagles the lead.
With the minutes ticking by, the game was still up for grabs for both sides.
Slowly, the Eagles moved the ball forward along the wing, before again kicking high and long to a pack of their tall timber. Again the ball landed in the hands of an Eagle, this time Renooy, who booted his side into a preliminary final in his return match following the end of Gippsland Power's TAC Cup season.
A few minutes later, Wonthaggi star Byron Dryden broke down the wing with a number of running bounces with everything needing to go the Power's way. However, with a throng of Maffra players behind the ball, the Eagles were able to break out of the backline and get the ball into the hands of the running Renooy.
The youngster began at the half-back line and continued to run, carrying the ball some 80 metres to the goal line to seal the result with his third major of the day.
While Wonthaggi will be left ruing a huge missed opportunity, the result was a fitting end to what was a roller coaster clash from first bounce through to final siren.
It was Wonthaggi which began the match better, making the most of Maffra's numerous turnovers across half-forward. The Power was the harder running side early on in the exchange and booted five opening quarter goals to lead by 19 points at the first change.
Needing a lift in their intensity, the Eagles came out hot in the second quarter but still couldn't manage to eat into the deficit.
Both teams attempted to overuse the ball as they moved forward and cost themselves dearly on numerous occasions.
It took until almost the end of the term for the Eagles to finally get on top of the contest. A Darren Sheen pack mark and accurate set shot was followed by Renooy's first of the day.
Andrew Petrou kicked his first goal not long after and as the clock ticked into time-on in the second term, the Eagles found themselves in front.
Having copped quite a spray at the long break, the Power emerged from the rooms fired up and ready to again take it to their highly-fancied opponent.
And that they did, kicking 5.2 to 2.1 for the term to restore a 10-point lead at the final change.
The Power simply combined better around the ground than the Eagles for much of the match and was able to find loose men inside 50 with much more ease. However, as coach Wayne Butcher stressed to his players at the final change, football is a four-quarter match.
Spurred on by the tireless running efforts of midfielders Jake Roe-Duggan and Danny Butcher, and the forward dominance of Sheen, the Eagles somehow survived to fight another week.
