But it was third time unlucky for the Lakers, whose dream run after finishing third on the ladder ended at the preliminary final stage, as Lancaster claimed a hard-fought victory in extra time to advance to the grand final.
Unable to be split at the full-time whistle, there was still only the slimmest of margins at the end of extra time, with the Wombats claiming a 55-54 victory at Undera Recreation Reserve to move onto next week’s decider, denying the Lakers in the process.
It brings an end to a dream finals run for Nagambie, who finished third on the ladder at the end of the home-and-away season, before clinching a 49-47 extra time win over Rushworth in an elimination final and backing it up with a 53-49 triumph, again in extra time, in last week’s semi-final against Tallygaroopna.
While the A-grade season has come to a close, the minor premier B-grade Lakers will fight it out for premiership glory, having won through to the decider after a thriller against Violet Town at the weekend.
Lining up in the preliminary final against the Towners, Nagambie prevailed 43-36 to advance to the grand final, where they will meet a Tallygaroopna side that upset them in the semis, and will look to exact revenge when they meet on Saturday at Mooroopna Recreation Reserve at 1:15pm.
Football
While the A-grade netballers fell just short of a grand final berth, Nagambie’s senior footballers won straight through to the decider at the first time of asking in the second week of finals, and on Saturday, found out their grand final opponent.
The Lakers will do battle with Lancaster at 2:40pm this Saturday at Mooroopna Recreation Reserve for the premiership, after the Wombats defeated reigning premier Murchison-Toolamba on Saturday in the preliminary final to book their spot.
In an instant classic, Lancaster avenged last season’s grand final heartbreak to deny Murchison-Toolamba an attempt at a third straight title, with the Wombats instead advancing to earn a shot at redemption with a thrilling 9.7 (61) to 9.6 (60) victory at Undera Recreation Reserve.
For much of the first half, it looked certain that the Wombats would be the ones lining up against Nagambie at Mooroopna Recreation Reserve with the cup on the line.
Kicking five straight goals to the Hoppers’ 2.2 gave Lancaster the dream start it was after, racing out to a 30-14 lead at the first break, and while the reigning premier steadied in the second, the Wombats matched them.
Each scoring 2.2 in the second term, Lancaster preserved its quarter-time lead heading into the main break, and looked as though they were well in control with a 7.2 (44) to 4.4 (28) advantage.
You can’t underestimate a champion side, though, and the Hoppers came out swinging in the premiership quarter.
The firm grip on the contest that the Wombats enjoyed in the first half went limp, and Murchison-Toolamba fired three times in quick succession to level the scores less than 10 minutes into the third quarter.
By the end of it, they were ahead, booting the final major of the term to make it four unanswered after half-time, as Lancaster stared down a 47-53 deficit at the final huddle.
It took less than a minute in the final term for the Wombats to erase the deficit, and though a tight and contested final term ensued, a major with 15 minutes gone gave them the lead, from which they wouldn’t be headed.
Despite a last gasp goal to the Hoppers which cut the margin to a point, the Wombats emerged victorious to set their date with the Lakers this weekend.
Nagambie has enjoyed the success in recent meetings between the pair, triumphing in both the round 12 and semi-final meetings, though both sides will be aware that the pressure of a grand final is a different beast.
The Lakers will look to fill their boots with football premierships on Saturday, as the reserves will also face Lancaster for a shot at glory, the first ball up set for 12:35pm following the under-18 decider, also featuring the Lakers, who will take on Murchison-Toolamba from 10:35am.
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