Border Mail |
STAR North Albury recruit Gibson Turner has described booting a goal after the siren as “the best feeling in the world” after handing the Hoppers a heartstopping win over Wodonga by three points on Saturday.
Turner, playing his first game for the club, delivered one of the highlights of the season when he sunk the winless Bulldogs in the cruellest fashion.
In shocking conditions, Turner kicked truly from 35 metres out after taking a mark on a slight angle.
Turner, who arrived less than a fortnight ago, said he’d remember his debut for the rest of his life.
“I still can’t believe it,” he said.
“I’ve always wanted to do it and to do it is just surreal, you know?
“It was pretty nerve-wracking.”
Turner, who spent 2012 on Richmond’s rookie list, admitted he felt the pressure when the siren went.
“I just tried to block everything out, but I had a lot of things running through my mind,” he said.
“I really wanted to do it for the team.”
It was another devastating blow for Wodonga, which looked on the verge of its first win when coach and best on ground Ben Hollands goalled with just over a minute left.
In an incredible twist of irony, North Albury was holding a 30-year reunion for its 1984 premiership at the club on Saturday.
The Hoppers won that game by the same margin against the same opponent, in similar fashion.
“A couple of weeks ago we got beaten by Myrtleford, which shouldn’t have happened, and we tried everything to lose again,” North Albury coach Jason Akermanis said.
“We made a couple of monumental errors, which is so unlike us, but we hung in there.
“Sometimes footy can be cruel, so this was a great result and deserved after a lot of hard weeks.”
Jordan Harrington was North Albury’s best, with Turner showing plenty.
However, the Hoppers’ free kick count again left Akermanis disappointed.
The Hoppers gave away 24 free kicks in the first half, finishing with 39.
“I don’t know who is at fault, whether it’s us or decision making from the officials, but we’ve got to stop,” Akermanis said.
“We’ve been really bad — we keep talking to them, so hopefully they can see it both ways.”
