Trailing by 26 points early in the third term, a Bombers blitz overturned a scintillating Shepparton Swans start to hand Kyabram a Goulburn Valley League elimination final victory that rewards it with a double chance.
It wouldn’t be far fetched to assume every supporter in attendance had uttered the phrase ‘day for it’ at Euroa’s Memorial Oval on Sunday, as clear skies embarked on the tidy green surface.
Swans’ Sam Bicknell clunked a contested mark for a set shot goal to open the second elimination final’s tally, but it was quickly followed by Kyabram’s Jack Sinclair.
Sinclair was handed a 50 metre penalty for a Swan entering the protected area on defensive half of the wing, but as is the small venue of Memorial Oval, that took Sinclair’s mark to the arc and he set sail for a 40 metre goal.
It soon became apparent rapid transition is how the Swans aimed to play - such a counter attack saw Lucas Rachele put his first on the board.
Kyabram flexed through height and strength, especially in its forward half, but Swan James Auld proved you don’t need to be 100 kilograms to kick a snag, with two in a minute to make it a three-goal buffer - nearly made three goals but his final effort hit the post.
Vicious but fair hip and shoulders signified the finals intensity of the opening term, but it was the Swans full of life while Kyabram inaccurate early, quarter time scores 5.4 (34) to 2.7 (19).
A stunning goal from the boundary handed Kyabram the first score of the second term, but the Swans kept level headed and extended the margin throughout the term, its run and gun play style suiting the dimensions of Memorial Oval.
A late goal for Aidan Robinson gave the Bombers a glimpse however, as they headed into the sheds down 20 points, 10.7 (67) to 6.11 (47).
In the third term, the Bombers roared back to life.
After Oliver Warburton kicked the term’s opener to make a 26-point advantage, the Bombers piled on five straight goals to hit the front, with a vocal travelling crowd rallying behind the men donning the sash.
Robinson was clinical in the term with two majors, as Kyabram co-coach Corey Carver said winning contested possessions at the coalface contributed to the momentum swing that saw the three-quarter-time score read 11.10 (76) to 11.15 (81).
“We had to start winning contested ball, and we were giving up way too many uncontested marks,” Carver said.
“Some of our wingers had to tidy up to stop that run and carry, but mainly we just had to simply get to work, crack in and win the clearance.”
Kyabram’s Kaine Herbert drilled two critical majors in the final term, and while it was still possible for the Swans to shift momentum, the Bombers’ second goal of the last quarter was their sixth scoring shot to one, highlighting the uphill challenge.
“Some guys can sniff those moments out - most can’t, he can,” Carver said on Herbert.
“He was really sore during the week so that was an unbelievable effort from him to play like that.”
The Swans dug deep, but the Bombers’ finals experience shone on the Memorial Oval stage, the sun setting across Euroa as the sun set on the red and white’s season, 14.13 (97) to 15.19 (109) the score as the last siren rang.
With the GVL finals system, Kyabram will face Echuca in the preliminary final for a spot in the grand final next week, but should it lose, there is a double chance after sixth-placed Mooroopna defeated Seymour on Saturday.
“It’s an interesting top six system, but right now you take it because we’ve got that double chance,” Carve said.
“It is against unbelievable opposition who were brilliant last night, so we’ll need to be at our best to beat them.”
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