Round eight of the Outer East Premier Division had absolutely everything on Saturday 31 May ahead of the mid-season break for King’s Birthday.
Thriller games, a goal after the siren winner and even a draw.
The match between Officer and Healesville at Don Road Sporting Complex saw no winner, with the hosts’ accuracy coming to their rescue.
The Bloods kicked 9.6 to the Kangaroos’ 8.12 to knot the game at 60 when the final siren blared.
Officer will be ruing the result, despite not losing, after leading by 13 points midway through the final frame.
A downfield free going to Charlie Warren saw Healesville draw within seven as Warren snapped it home from the pocket.
Four minutes later, a rushed behind by the Kangaroos backline brought the deficit to a straight kick.
As the clock ticked down, a kick inside 50 for the Bloods was intercepted by Jake Gains, but the umpire blew his whistle for a different reason.
Tyler De Jong went to shepherd for his teammate, but illegally held Warren out of the contest, giving the forward a free kick in a prime spot.
Warren went back and nailed his second fourth quarter snag to square the score at 60 with the last kick of the game.
While disappointing to miss out on the full four points, a strong performance away against a top four side was encouraging for Officer senior playing coach Nathan Allen.
“I thought that was the best we’ve played for four quarters as a team all year,” he said.
“Blokes accepted their roles and it showed, because their heads were in the game the whole time and it gave us a chance.
“And even though it took them until the last few minutes to get back to us, I thought we actually played the last five or 10 minutes really well.
“We created stoppage after stoppage, kept them to one side of the ground and they were good enough in the last minute to get to the open side and go end-to-end.
“I didn’t think there were too many standouts, but that was probably the best thing about it from the coaching group’s point.
“Everyone played their role, we weren’t relying on anyone but the talents were able to shine through and everyone else was doing their own thing.
“The pressure we were able to create was the best we’ve had all year and that’s what gave us a chance.
“It is a weird feeling, I keep thinking we could’ve won if we did one little thing differently but you can’t go back and change it, you’ve just got to accept it’s a draw and move on.”
Emerald wasn’t able to overcome its rough first quarter, letting Upwey Tecoma bag the first five goals of the match and take complete control.
The Tigers held a 0.2 (2) to 5.1 (31) quarter time advantage at Chandler Oval.
The Bombers outscored the visitors by over a goal for the remaining three quarters, but the damage was done early as the Tigers never looked back and coasted to a 9.12 (66) to 13.10 (88) victory.
Ewan Wadsworth posted 33 possessions and David Johnson booted three goals.
Gembrook Cockatoo were the latest guest of the Aaron Mullett show, with the Wandin superstar recording a bag of 12 goals.
The Bulldogs were yet again too good, winning 22.14 (146) to 7.6 (48) at home.
Cody Hirst had 27 disposals and three goals for Wandin, while Robin Nahas picked up numbers of 39 disposals, 35 of which were kicks, and 10 marks.
Mount Evelyn pulled out one of the wins of the season, upsetting Monbulk with a kick after the siren.
With the game even at three quarter time, the Rovers snagged four of the first five majors of the final term.
The Hawks responded with two goals but also a myriad of behinds, hitting the front after 34 minutes played when gun Lochie Beecroft slapped through a rushed minor score.
The ball ended up in Mount Evelyn’s forward 50, when Robert Savory dived on the loose footy out of a rucking contest and was pinged for failing to attempt to release the ball.
Daimon Kift was the tackler and as he walked back and composed himself, the siren went.
Kift ran in and drilled home his set shot, being immediately swarmed by his teammates and the home crowd.
As the ball sailed through the big sticks, the score moved to the Rovers 10.8 (68) defeating Monbulk 8.15 (63).
At Woori Yallock Reserve, another thriller took place in one of the most anticipated matchups of the season.
The Tigers squeezed past Olinda Ferny Creek 9.8 (62) to 8.13 (61) in a nailbiter.
The usual difference makers of Taylor Gibson and Matt Scharenberg were at their best, with Gibson booting six goals and Scharenberg notching stats of 29 disposals, 12 marks, three tackles and a goal.
A behind from Kody Busoli’s set shot near the 21 minute mark proved to be the match winner for Woori Yallock.
