Euroa coach Brad Gleeson admits he thought his side was “gone”. Then the Magpies found another level.
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Euroa and Mansfield’s round 13 Goulburn Valley League clash at Memorial Oval may go down as one of the year’s best by season’s end.
From a startling burst out the blocks by the underdog, to a thrilling chase that saw multiple final quarter lead changes, it was GVL football at its theatrical best.
The Magpies entered the fourth Standpipe Cup edition as underdogs with just two wins to their name after 12 rounds of football, but with Mansfield on the slide in recent weeks, belief was brimming for the black and white.
That belief translated into action on the field in a crushing first quarter blow to the Eagles, with Euroa kicking 4.5 (29) to Mansfield’s 2.2 (14), establishing a surprise 15-point advantage at the quarter-time break.
The pause for a huddle on the wing didn’t effect the Magpies opening half an hour either, as inaccuracy cursed the Eagles’ hopes of regaining the lead.
Another four-goal term saw Euroa reach a 27-point lead at half time, but the Eagles could only blame themselves for the second quarter that saw them kick 1.7.
Yet, Gleeson’s men had put Mansfield to the sword and given themselves the opportunity for a potential upset win.
“We put a big focus on our first quarter, we’ve been a little flat for the first ten minutes of games and our scoreboard efficiency has also let us down a little bit,” Gleeson said.
“To have that handy lead at half-time, it gave our boys a lot of confidence.”
However, a quality side like Mansfield inevitably was going to make a charge.
Following the half-time break, the cut-throat Eagles the GVL knows took flight.
Samuel Guppy, Max Mahoney and Al Bennett helped Mansfield close down the deficit with the opening three goals of the third term, plus a pair of points to boot making it a seven-point game.
Euroa’s Cohen Paul stepped up to the call, however, with the VFL-listed young gun proving his hamstring injury is well and truly a thing of the past, kicking two of the next three unanswered Euroa goals to return the lead beyond four straight kicks.
But Mansfield would come home with a wet sail.
A late third term goal to Guppy made it a 20-point three-quarter-time deficit, but Ben Reardon and Will Foster’s fourth quarter majors trimmed the margin to seven, with more than 15 minutes still to play.
It was game on.
Then, Reardon and Foster would go again.
Goal, goal. Five unanswered, five-point lead Mansfield.
Another behind made the contest a one-goal game, and then Paul clunked a mark inside 50 to sew up the scores at 80-apiece, threatening the Eagles for its second draw this season.
No more than 20 seconds later, Jett Trotter let rip for the goals, the Sherrin sailing through for a Magpie advantage.
The red football had fingertips clawing and boots thumping across its seams as play neared red time at Memorial Oval, desperation driving into overload as a belief-building win for Euroa and a season-salvaging victory for Mansfield laid bare on the table for either side.
With 58 seconds before stoppage time began, Mansfield’s Jayden Howes took his chance and left the game tied again at 86-86.
In a high-quality battle, a draw perhaps was the result each side deserved.
But it wasn’t the one they got.
With fatigue setting in, it was Euroa that found one extra drop of fuel in the tank, scoring three times more before the final siren - but another bit of Trotter magic was the Eagle killer.
At full-time, the Pies had held on after its tremendous first half, winning 14.10 (94) to 12.14 (86), overturning an 80-point defeat in its round one meeting with Mansfield.
“It was a massive effort for our young group,” Gleeson said.
“To be honest, I thought we were gone.
“We were out on our feet and Mansfield had all the momentum.
“We showed a lot of heart to go against the run of play to score those goals late and perform in crucial moments.”
Paul finished the game with six majors in his best scoring return yet this campaign, an effort Gleeson was proud of after a strugglesome week prior.
“He kicked 0.6 last week, and he missed one early on Saturday,” Gleeson said.
“But when he nailed the next one all the boys got over to him and it was huge for his confidence.
“He’s a great target for us inside 50, but overall he’s a star player with great ambitions on a VFL list for Carlton.
“We’ve signed him for next year too, we got that confirmed during the week which is fantastic news for the club.”
Following the interleague break, Euroa host Benalla, while Mansfield travel to Kings Park to play Seymour.