A season-high five goals from midfielder Matthew Holmes has inspired the Northern Blues to a thrilling one-point victory over Aquinas at Ruthven Reserve on Saturday.
Trailing by four goals ten-minutes into the final term, the Blues rallied late to win 17. 17. (119) to 17. 16. (118) in the fast-flowing shootout.
Aquinas had an opportunity to take back the lead in the dying stages of the game, however missed their chance with an errant kick within 25 meters of goal.
The match was played with a finals-like tempo, as coast-to-coast goals became a staple in the high-stakes second vs third clash.
Post-game, Northern defender Daniel Wakim said his side had taken plenty of confidence from their strong finishes against tough opposition lately.
“Aquinas is a good side, so to come from behind like that is a real credit to our spirit.” Wakim said.
“We were sweating like gypsies with a mortgage midway through the last quarter so we decided to run like cut snakes coming out of defence.”
“We’ve overrun both Aquinas and Emmaus in the last quarter now so there’s a real belief within the group.”
With both teams going goal for goal in a hard-fought first half, Aquinas used a six goal to three third-quarter to take a 23-point lead heading into the final term.
Captain Leigh Toomey lead the way for the Bloods, kicking two goals and accumulating plenty of contested possessions in his 200th game for the club.
Forwards Michael Niezen and Jai Perrett shared most of the workload inside 50, combining for eight of Aquinas’ 17 goals in the contest.
For the Blues, James King and Dean Calcedo were solid counterparts for Matthew Holmes in the midfield while Mark Cigagna and Lachlan McRedmond provided some spark up forward with three goals each.
Half-back Nick De Andrade also performed admirably, with Wakim likening his quick rebound from defence to ‘a rat up a drain pipe’.
The frantic win was soured by an ankle injury to ruckman Nathan Parkes, while James Augostakis suffered a sickening broken arm in the reserves contest earlier in the afternoon.
The Blues could finish as the Division 3 minor premiers if Emmaus St Leos lose to Aquinas in their Round 18 clash this weekend.
Northern face St Francis Xavier at St Francis Xavier College in Beaconsfield in their penultimate regular season match.
“It’s all about the process now,” Wakim said. “We’ve done everything we can to prepare for this home stretch, hopefully we can put it all together.”
NORTHERN BLUES 3.7 6.12 9.14 17.17 (119)
AQUINAS 3.3 7.7 13.13 17.16 (118)
GOALS:
NORTHERN: M. Holmes 5, Cigagna 3, McRedmond 3, Hull, Vuwai, Holmes, Phelan, Parkes, Warwick
AQUINAS: Niezen 4, Perrett 4, Toomey 2, Morrison-Storey, Jurkovsky, Price, Kershaw, Cormack, O''Loughlin, Foster
BEST:
NORTHERN: Jepson, De Andrade, Campbell, Sansonetti, Thompson, Beaty
AQUINAS: L. Toomey, Meagher, Parr, Niezen, Perrett, Jess
Last Modified on 25/08/2014 23:07