COHUNA Kangas claimed the colts premiership after an epic grand final against Swan Hill on Saturday.
The see-sawing contest went right down to the wire, with the Kangas getting up by 19 points.
The game lived up to expectations and followed in pattern to recent tight finishes to colts grand finals, with both the Swans and the Kangas displaying free-flowing and hard-fought football for the full 100 minutes.
Both sides had a plethora of players returning from nearly a full home and away season in the senior ranks to bolster their teams with in excess of 100 senior games added to both sides.
In perfect conditions the Kangas kicked with the aid of a slight breeze favouring the Tyntynder end in the first term but it would be a tight tussle between the two defences early.
Best afield Rhys Free broke the deadlock, marking on the lead and slotting a 45m goal to bring up his first of five majors for the day.
The Swans defence was under acute pressure but it was Mitch Makepiece, Zac Cordwell and Brad Cockfield standing tall for their side to repel the Kangas forward movements.
Xavier Mertz was good in the ruck for the Swans and his ruck work was going to have a huge bearing on the game.
Swan Hill’s Rookie of the Year nominee Declan Quin received a high tackle right in front to tie the scores up as both sides made good use of the water boys in the mild morning weather.
The Kangas controlled the rest of the quarter, with midfielder Daniel Paterson heavily influential.
Paterson won contested possessions to set up Free for his second and third goals and Hamish McGraw for his solitary major for the day.
It saw the Kangas open up a 22-point margin at the first change.
Griffin Williams and Dylan Perry had good quarters in defence for the Kangas as did Paddy Dow and Brodie Hartley for the Swans.
The Swans had use of the breeze at the start of the second term but it was the Kangas who went all out attack to try and bust the game open.
Harrison Keely was good in the ruck for the Kangas to nullify Mertz as Paterson continued his dominance around the packs and it was Free again to bring up his fourth to take the margin out to 30 points and a huge early advantage.
Will Lee running straight lines from half back wasn’t going to let anything past him and along with the speedy Kaleb O’Flaherty on the wing the Kangas had all the play.
Some missed opportunities could seem costly for the Kangas as the Swans finally got into gear with much needed goals to Cockfield and a quiet Arnold Kirby to bring the margin back to a manageable 18 points at the long break.
The leg-speed and accurate disposal of Cody Travaglia was important in getting the Swans back in the game late in the term, with able assistance from Cordwell and Paddy and Jed Dow.
An early opener to Quin saw Swans supporters come to life and the match lift another notch in intensity.
Free’s fifth cancelled that out for the Kangas, as his aerial dominance was a huge concern for the Swans defence.
Lee was thrown into the ruck for the Kangas and his influence resulted in Jake Thrum goaling to take the margin back out beyond four goals as the Kangas seemed to have all the answers.
No one told the 22 Swans players they were out of it, as they responded with goals to Jed Dow and Kirby and in a blink of an eye they were back in the contest.
The next 10 minutes brought out the best in the boys with senior experience as they went tooth and nail at each other with no holds barred.
Paterson had a quiet early term for the Kangas but lifted to goal and kicked another after an inspirational one-percenter from Cody Goulding, who, in a two-on-one contest smothered a Swans ball and gained a turnover for Paterson to put the Kangas out to a 23-point lead at the last change.
One could sense the Swans were not out of it as they had the aid of a slightly strengthening breeze to kick with and only needed a tiny slice of luck to be right in it at the finish.
And Quin gave them the perfect start, running into an open goal in the first minute to lift his charges.
Showing great pace, Will Burns was lively along with Cordwell and it was they who found Swan Hill’s 2013 grand final hero Kirby who goaled to reduce the margin to just two straight kicks.
Hamish McGraw was dropped back as a loose man in defence for the Kangas and gained some important clearances but there was nothing he could do but watch a Marcus Hovenden 60m bomb sail over his head and run through for another for the Swans and reduce the margin to seven points.
Bailey Mitchell, Perry and Williams put their bodies on the line to stop the next Swans forward movements for the Kangas but neither could stop a loose Will Burns from snapping truly for the Swans and making it a one-point game.
The premiership was there for the taking for either side as the next clearance was of the utmost importance.
Sam O’Shea had a solid game in the middle for the Kangas and he combined with captain Corey Miller for a clearance and, in the next set of play, Paterson courageously marked and goaled to give the Kangas a seven-point buffer.
There was still time for the Swans but the Kangas wanted it more in the end and goals to Thrum and Brad Griffiths sealed it for the Kangas.
