Weekly Times | Port Fairy is into the finals of the Hampden Football League for the first time since losing the 2005 grand final, after finishing fourth with 12 wins for the regular season.
But just 0.65 per cent stood in the way of the Seagulls claiming third place on the ladder and a second chance in the finals.
Port Fairy went into Round 18 tied with third-placed North Warrnambool Eagles on points and less than 2 per cent behind, and defeated Terang Mortlake by 35 points.
With second-placed Warrnambool leading the Eagles by 20 points going into the last quarter of their match, Port Fairy looked set to move up from fourth to third.
But North Warrnambool Eagles had other ideas, producing a stunning fourth quarter turnaround to win by 32 points and hold on to third place.
It means this week’s qualifying and elimination finals will both be replays of last weekend’s matches — Warrnambool will once again play the Eagles on Saturday, and Port Fairy will need to replicate its form against the Bloods on Sunday to advance deeper into September.
