Facing a three-goal deficit at the final change after Dookie rattled off eight of nine goals to take charge of what had been a hard-fought arm wrestle, Tallygaroopna burst out of the gates in a thrilling final stanza that had three lead changes before Dookie was left just seconds short of a final push, ultimately falling 32-30.
Victorious coach Fiona Dawn, herself nursing some ice post-match, expressed relief that her charges had what it took to hold off their adversaries on Dookie’s home court.
“My brain is exhausted after that game,” Down said, laughing.
“It was sensational from both teams and naturally, we’re thrilled.
“It’s always exciting making a grand final and, although we had it tough against Shepparton East and were probably emotionally fatigued from that, (Dookie) were impressive.
“It was a mental game today.”
This rematch of the 2022 decider opened up with the sides unable to freely move through one another, deadlocked 9-9 at the first break.
Neither side could establish any foothold or clear ascendancy before half-time, but it was the third quarter where the intensity and the home crowd’s atmosphere lifted multiple notches.
In hostile territory, Dookie’s attacking staff took charge of the affair, hardly wasting a chance in shooting range and turning a four-goal deficit into a three-goal lead in barely the blink of an eye.
In turning for home, though, Down claims her side never felt overawed by the fierce rally it had struggled to contain, having to take the lead twice in the final term to keep it ahead of the siren.
“We always had belief in our girls after we had to do the same thing last week (against Shepparton East),” Down said.
“We got one crucial chance that lifted us and it drove us from there, but (the game) was never over.
“Dookie are a competitive side and we had to make sure we had our basics.”
Down chose to heap praise on Tallygaroopna’s defenders for helping to turn a difficult tide against a surging Thunder outfit, highlighting the efforts of Georgia Foster, Bree Giles and Rebecca Brett.
With a grand final date and opportunity for revenge against Shepparton East now locked in the focus shifts to steering the ship back on course after the Redlegs had to take the longer route by virtue of losing their semi-final meeting.
“(In the semi-final game) it came down to the last five minutes and sadly we were just on the wrong side,” Down said.
“If it’s anything like that game from the first week of finals everyone should be up for a really good contest.”
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