Wagga Tigers claimed a piece of history by snaring the inaugural AFL Riverina Championship against Leeton Whitton on Saturday.
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The Crows led by 19 points early in the second quarter before the Tigers kicked the next six goals in posting a 16.8 (104) to 12.11 (83) win at Wagga's Robertson Oval.
The Tigers had four Albury players - Brayden O'Hara, Jake Gaynor, Jim Grills and recruit Shaun Driscoll - and they all starred with the latter winning best on ground with an energetic display.
Both teams deserve credit for making it such an entertaining contest given a strong wind which favoured the highway end of the ground.
It's hoped to be the only AFL Riverina Championships in history as competitions return to normal next year following this COVID-19 season.
The match attracted a crowd of 1511, which was the maximum allowed under strict coronavirus protocols.
"Obviously to come back to your home club with a flag in the circumstances this year, there's no better year to win it," Wagga Tigers' junior Gaynor said.
Kicking with the aid of the breeze, the Crows were dangerously inaccurate, dominating possession and territory with 10 shots to two.
"We didn't make the most of our chances, we kicked 3.7 in the first quarter which has been an omen for us this year and kept them in the game," coach Daniel Muir said.
Grills landed a superb checkside goal from the boundary in the tricky conditions, but it was a six-goal to one surge with the wind in the second term which sealed the Crows' hopes.
Playing on leg after he re-injured his calf in the opening minutes, O'Hara kicked two belters in three minutes, including one where he wheeled around on that lethal left and let fly off one step from 50m.
The Tigers took a 21-point lead to half-time and when the Crows were only able to out-score the home team by a point with the breeze, the match was over.
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"I just think it was our ball movement (which was the difference), we knew we had to move it quickly so they couldn't get numbers behind the footy because when we played them a couple of weeks ago, they were really good at it," coach Troy Maiden said.
Driscoll was superb in the midfield, Reid Gordon and Lonnie Bance also excelled, while Sam Hopper and siblings Tom and Lucas Meline were the Crows' best.
