Wangaratta Rivers pip Albury by a point in Ovens and Murray

In another crackerjack contest, the visitors dominated the final term territorially and possession-wise, but Rovers held on 14.9 (93) to 13.14 (92).

"I'll be honest, halfway through the last quarter it wasn't looking great for us," captain Sam Carpenter admitted.

"In the first 15 minutes of the quarter, the ball was coming into our defensive 50 really hot, they were hitting players lace out, it was really hard to defend, but once we kicked a goal, the feel of the game changed a lot, we forced Albury to kick long into our forward line and we were able to defend it.

"We just scrounged it out in the last five minutes, with repeat stoppages."

The Tigers will rue losing with four more scoring shots, kicking 5.5 to 2.1 in the final term, as the home team produced a series of memorable moments.

"Raven Jolliffe is the first one that comes to mind, he was tremendous with his attack on the footy, he's as hard as a cat's head, he stood up for is in the last quarter when we really needed someone to stand up and defend, while Sam Murray was brilliant aerially as always," Carpenter praised.

It was a freakish game in that the momentum swung four times.

Rovers had a 34-point lead during the first stanza, but then the Tigers kicked six goals to one to hold a four-point half-time lead.

The Hawks blasted six goals to one in the third term, before withholding the stunning fightback.

Alex Marklew continued his consistent season by nailing three goals, while four players snared two, including Jake McQueen.

The midfielder has been the Hawks' best recruit, again providing terrific drive through the centre and poise with the ball.

In the second term, Albury's dangerous Riley Bice looked capable of taking the match away from the Hawks, who sent rep defender Cody Schutt to him.

"Riley Bice is a terrific player, but Cody was able to keep up with him and shut him down," Carpenter enthused.

Carpenter and fellow defenders Will Nolan and Michael Clark were also superb.

Albury's Jacob Conlan featured with four goals, while teenager Isaac McGrath (two majors), Bice and Anthony Miles were also prominent.

It was an enormous win not only for the Hawks (6-4), but also the league with five teams in Albury (7-3), Myrtleford (6-4), Corowa-Rutherglen (5-5) and Lavington (5-5) still battling for the double chance.

"It was basically an eight-point game for the club, if we had dropped it, we may be looking at fighting for fifth spot," Carpenter warned.

"Nothing's set after the win, but it opens the door and shows our young guys what we can do, it will give the group real belief in the run home."

IN OTHER NEWS:

Rovers are now away to Wodonga Raiders on Saturday, while Albury has the week off and will then face a desperate Corowa-Rutherglen, which will realistically be fighting for its season with only eight rounds left.

To read more stories, download The Border Mail news app in the Apple Store or Google Play.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: