Tallangatta edged out Kiewa Sandy Creek in an extra-time thriller on Saturday.
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The Hawks were just six seconds from the premiership when best on court Emily Rodd showed tremendous composure to level the scores at 36-all.
Rodd and Liona Edwards then maintained their cool as the team held a three-goal break after the first seven-minute half and then pushed the lead to eight, before the Hawks landed three late in a remarkable 48-43 result.
“It (the game in regulation time) was unbelievable and then to play basically another quarter, unbelievable,” stunned Tallangatta coach Anna Avery said.
“They’re (Rodd and Edwards) both very calm under pressure, even in the other final, they barely missed a shot.”
Rodd fired four goals from seven attempts and Edwards eight from 12 in extra-time.
It was Tallangatta’s second successive title after stealing the crown from Thurgoona, which racked up four straight.
“They just probably settled better in extra-time,” Hawks’ coach Kath Evans said.
“We fought back from a long way down in the last quarter, which I thought showed a lot of spirit and the character in our team.”
Tallangatta finished as minor premiers with 16 wins and two losses, just a win ahead of Kiewa.
The Hoppers won the round 11 clash by a goal and followed that with another thriller, 45-44, in the second semi.
The favourites held a two-goal lead at every break, but looked like falling short until Karina Cameron’s intercept with 12 seconds left handed Rodd the late opportunity.
A bumper crowd of around 400 flocked around the Sandy Creek court in the final two stanzas.
“It might have been an advantage that we didn’t play last week and they did and with that extra quarter, we had the legs to run it out maybe,” Avery suggested.
The game was stacked with former Ovens and Murray players, including Avery and Edwards, along with the Hawks’ Haylee Penny and Rebecca Cameron.
Wodonga premiership player and former O and M league medallist Cameron finished with 20 goals from 25 attempts at 80 per cent, while Penny posted 23.
The win had special significance for goal keeper Kath Fryer after two serious Achilles injuries.
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