A FINAL-quarter surge by the Mallee Eagles, outscoring Woorinen 20-6, secured a remarkable come-from-behind win in Sunday’s first semi-final.
The Tigers held an eight-goal lead at the final break, when the match looked to be safely in their keeping.
However, the Eagles had other ideas, turning the match – and finals series – on its head with a 59-53 win.
The Eagles progressed to this weekend’s preliminary final against Swan Hill.
Woorinen will be left wondering what could have been, bundled from the finals in straight sets after finishing third on the ladder and being the only team to beat grand final-bound Lake Boga so far.
Mallee Eagles coach Meg Allen was full of praise for her team’s never-say-die attitude heading into the season-defining final quarter.
“I don’t think any of us have been part of a comeback like that before,” Allen said.
“I was just so proud of the team for the effort that they showed in that final quarter.
“It was an amazing game to be a part of, the crowd was huge and it was a hard-fought game from both teams and I’m just so proud to be a part of a win like that.
“We made a few changes at three-quarter time that worked well to our advantage.
“We moved Elly (Bookham) into the centre and I dropped back to goal defence, which changed things up defensively, and it just clicked.
“We also brought Neveah (Roberts) on to play wing defence.
“We didn’t make too many changes throughout the match, but we made them at the final break and then it all fell into place for us.”
While the changes through the Eagles midcourt and defence changed the match, it was the consistent performance of goalers Kellie Walker (31 goals) and Megan Thorneycroft (28) that kept them in the contest.
At the other end, Woorinen coach Tayla Bennett did all she could in putting up a game-high 41 goals and GA Emily Siely provided great support in the high-scoring contest.
Sonya Lorenzoni was at her consistent best in WA for the Eagles and created headaches for Woorinen with her ability to feed quality ball into her goalers.
With the Eagles now moving onto the penultimate weekend of the season, Allen was quick to focus her team’s attention on the job at hand.
The Swans were set to provide a stern test after their own heartbreaking defeat.
“We’re all excited with the win, but it will turn pretty quickly to next week now and making sure we keep that hunger to win and keep that momentum going,” Allen said.
“Woorinen are a great side from one end to the other and have had a fantastic season and Swan Hill is no different, they’re very strong in every position.
“We’ll have to put our best game forward to beat them, but I have full confidence that we can play our best and see how we go.
“There’s a really good feeling around the club at the moment and for a small country town, to have several teams still fighting it out this late in the season is a really great achievement.”
FINAL WHISTLE:
Woorinen 53
Mallee Eagles 59
