Pigeons fly high in epic grand final

In dramatic scenes at the Lavington Sportsground, the Pigeons trailed by 8-points early in the final quarter before a trio of goals from Logan Morey, Bailey Frauenfelder and Ryan Bruce saw them regain the lead and hold on to it in an epic grand final victory for the ages.

In a frantic opening quarter, players from both teams took their time to adjust to the chaotic nature of a grand final.

It was Albury who struck first with the first major of the day through Brydan Hodgson with a running goal. The Pigeons quickly replied however as Brayden Coburn goaled after he was impeded in the marking contest directly in front of the big sticks.

Dylan Conway was heavily involved early, kicking the Pigeons next two majors of the day. The powerful key forward found a mismatch early and was taking every advantage of it as the Pigeons took a slender 3-point lead into the first change.

An early goal in the second quarter from Brayden O’Hara saw Albury regain the lead however it was short lived as the Pigeons hit back hard.

Nick Fothergill produced a stunning five minutes of play with two important goals. Fothergill nailed a long-range set shot and then followed it up with a superb crumbing effort in the goal square.

Leigh Williams then took a contested grab inside fifty and all of a sudden, the Pigeons had three unanswered goals.

Although dominating the play, the Pigeons did not make the most of their opportunities and it left the door open for Albury to rally late in the second quarter. The Tigers pounced to kick three late goals to bring the scores back to level in a big momentum shift at the main break.

After copping a heavy tag so far in the game, enter Willie Wheeler. The superstar midfielder shook clear to find space inside fifty to kick a team lifter for the Pigeons.

And if that goal didn’t give Yarrawonga the spark they needed, a minute later, brother Harry was awarded a high free kick and went back to kick a long beauty from the set shot to push the margin out to 12-points.

Similar to the second quarter, the Pigeons again had field position dominance however left the door ajar for the Tigers. Albury hitting back through their big guns in Jacob Conlan and Anthony Miles to lead by 1-point with one quarter of football left for the season.

When Riley Bice kicked the first goal of the final quarter giving the Tigers a 7-point lead, Pigeons players and supporters knew they would have to play some remarkable football to get over the top of Albury. Lucky for Pigeons supporters, their boys still had plenty in the locker.

With cream rising to the top, superstars in Michael Gibbons, Leigh Masters, Mark Whiley and co led from the front as they willed their team to rise once again.

A Harry Wheeler run down tackle on Brydan Hodgson, who was streaming down the middle, may have just been one of the biggest moments in the game and a turning point for Yarrawonga.

With 14 minutes elapsed and trailing the Tigers, Logan Morey found space on the forward flank. Morey played on and set sail on goal which went through in a dead set massive moment for Yarrawonga.

A minute later, Harry Wheeler pounced on an ordinary kick in from Albury. Wheeler shovelled a hand pass to Bailey Frauenfelder who nailed the snap from thirty meters to give the Pigeons the lead yet again in dramatic circumstances.

And when Leigh Williams unselfishly found Ryan Bruce alone in the goal square to put through another, the Pigeons looked on their way to lifting that precious silverware.

However, with time still on the clock, everyone knew that Albury would continue to challenge the defense of Yarrawonga.

In a frantic passage of play, Albury somehow found Jeff Garlett who was left unmarked inside fifty.

Garlett, with 25 minutes gone in the game had a chance to put Albury in front and potentially win them the game. With nothing left in his legs, Garlett pulled the kick to which the captain of Yarrawonga, Leigh Masters, sat under to take an almighty contested grab to save the day.

With the ball in the hands of Jordan Urquhart, the first ever Pigeon to play in a premiership in all three grades of football, the siren sounded.

Pigeons supporters from all over the Lavington Sports Ground flocked onto the ground in jubilation as the Yarrawonga Pigeons remarkably defeated the Albury Tigers in a titanic struggle and a grand final for the ages.