Rochester 11.10 (76) l.t Seymour 11.12 (78)
It had been eight years since Seymour last beat Rochester at Moon Oval.
So, this thrilling two-point finish definitely sticks out in the minds of the Lions’ fateful.
Rochester had yet to lose a game in 2015, sitting firmly on top of the ladder four games clear of its nearest rival, Benalla.
But the Lions proved their finals credentials by sealing their fourth win in a row in what would be a seven-game winning streak deep in the season.
Peanuts separated these two teams for most of the day, the margin favouring Seymour by 10 points or less at every change of ends.
And while it looked like the Tigers could have taken over the match early in the fourth - with goals from Dylan Cuttriss and Nick O’Connor putting the side ahead by 11 - Seymour’s Saad Saad sneaked one of his own mid-way through the quarter to make it a five-point game.
With only minutes to go, the ball fell into the hands of teammate Brandyn Grenfell, who finished off a set shot to give his side the lead, before a frantic rush to hold off any Tiger counter-play succeeded.
Despite having to push hard to secure the win, Seymour coach Brent Colbert said he couldn’t see the game going any other way.
“At three-quarter-ime we probably should have been three or four goals up but it didn’t happen,” he said.
“But try telling the boys we weren’t going to win. When they got two goals up, nothing changed. We want to win. I can’t coach that. They need to experience that for themselves.”
And while Rochester later got their revenge on Seymour, beating the Lions by 77 points in the semi-finals that year, this round 13 upset was arguably one for the history books.
9°C