EFNL Division 3: Jack Dobson wins final for Oakleigh District after the siren as Donvale books spot in decider

WATCH: Oakleigh District marked a heart-stopping return to finals led by a young gun’s after-the-siren heroics in the Eastern league’s Division 3 on Sunday.

Welcome back to finals, Oakleigh District.

The Oaks staged a stunning last-gasp fightback to sink Silvan after the siren in an Eastern league Division 3 elimination bout at Ringwood’s Jubilee Park on Sunday.

The 7.8 (50) to 7.4 (46) win came courtesy of a Jack Dobson goal at the death – with the young gun kicking truly for his fourth major to cap off a best-afield display.

The Cats looked set for victory after nosing ahead in the frantic final minute – but the Oaks weren’t to be denied.

Perhaps the most relieved player on the field was Oakleigh District coach Blake Pearson, who recalled the heart-stopping finish.

“I had two poor kicks out of the backline in a row and they (Silvan) managed to kick a goal with about 45 seconds to go,” Pearson said.

“The ball went back to the middle, we got a contest from Connor Cochrane at centre half-forward and then it was literally two seconds before the siren that Dobson took a mark, went back, and slotted it.

“Considering it was Jack Dobson’s fourth or fifth game of senior football, to stand up like that was incredible.”

Scenes as Jack Dobson kicks Oakleigh District into a prelim final. Picture/vision: Eastern Football Netball League

The result marks the club’s first senior finals win since 2016, sending it into a preliminary final against Ferntree Gully this Saturday.

The Oaks tasted victory just twice each in 2019 and ’21 in the Southern league, before going winless in their inaugural Eastern campaign in 2022 – with an average losing margin of 136 points.

Snapping a seven-year finals hiatus, the enormity of a post-season win wasn’t lost on Pearson.

“It’s huge,” he said.

“Just to see the emotion of everyone that ran onto the ground and what it meant to especially the older guys that have been around the club a while and have seen some tough times.

“Just to see what it meant to them was really special.

“From where we’ve come from, losing by 130 points a game last year, to winning a final is incredible.”

Pearson also highlighted the performance of backman Jarryd Ambrose who stood Silvan spearhead Matt Low and key big man James Charge, while the coach also lauded the work of D’Arcy Grant in defence.

Jarryd Ambrose was among the Oaks’ best. Picture: Valeriu Campan

Minor premier Donvale awaits the winner of the prelim after booking its place in the grand final with an 80-point drubbing of Ferntree Gully on Saturday.

The ‘Vales led by five points at the main break before a 13-goal-to-one second half sent the club into its third senior decider in six years.

Donvale coach Kevin Collins said his side’s lift at the stoppages in the third term proved the catalyst in the 18.7 (115) to 4.12 (36) victory, with the Gully left to rue a wasteful 3.9 kicked to the half.

Donvale’s James Rausa was “enormous” in the 80-point win, coach Kevin Collins says. Picture: Valeriu Campan

“I just think we started to get on top at stoppages – it was a bit of an arm-wrestle there prior to that and our intensity lifted a bit,” Collins said.

“(In the second quarter, Ferntree Gully) had six free kicks … we poorly executed a couple of our tackles and that gave them first use of the ball and then we were cleaner in the third, we got six free kicks to one.

“The whole thing changed momentum when we refined the way we attacked the ball.

“Our work between the arcs picked up and we were able to capitalise.”

Nick Murphy, Kaleb Djordevic and Ethan Duncan each bagged three majors for Donvale, while midfielder James Rausa was best on ground.

“He was enormous … his aerial capacity, his ability to run (stood out) and he just worked really, really hard both defensively and offensively – he was just all over the ground,” Collins said of Rausa.

Ferntree Gully meets Oakleigh District in the preliminary final on Saturday, August 26 at Ringwood’s Jubilee Park at 2.20pm.