GDFL finals 2023: East Geelong hang on in thriller over Bannockburn as inaccurate star left shattered

Bannockburn stormed home with a dramatic qualifying final comeback, but the Tigers were left to rue missed opportunities as one of their stars was left shattered.

Zac Smith celebrates a goal.

East Geelong has managed to snatch a seesawing epic over a wasteful Bannockburn, kicking three of the last four goals to record a four-point win in a heart-stopping elimination final at Concept Oval.

The Eagles had complete control of the contest in the first half, booting the first five goals and cruising to a 25-point lead into halftime.

That was before Tigers guns Callum Hetherington and Leigham Elzinger flipped the script, sparking a dramatic third-quarter comeback that saw the Tigers edge within two points at the final change after piling on six goals to two against the breeze.

All looked lost for the Eagles when the Tigers hit the front midway through the final term after a controversial free kick was awarded to Jack Henderson.

With the scores locked at 69 apiece, the Tiger was walked to the goal line after a 50m penalty to put them a goal ahead while kicking with the breeze.

But the Eagles hit back as Ryan Lempa proved to be the X-Factor, bobbing up to kick two late goals with Ben Crombie slotting another to extend East Geelong’s lead to 12 points.

Ryan Lempa kicked two goals in the last quarter. Picture: Mark Wilson

However, it was far from over. Tigers skipper Tristan Battaglia kicked truly after receiving a free kick to bring the margin within a goal.

It set up a tense final five minutes with a finals spot on the line, with a desperate tackle from Eagles defender Alexander McDonald on danger-man Hetherington deep inside 50 proving pivotal in the dying seconds.

East Geelong spearhead Zac Smith finished with five goals as inside bull John McIntyre and Billy Andrew stood tall, with the later kicking the goal of the day with a stunning long-range snap from outside 50 which curled in with the breeze.

The heartbreaking loss for the inaccurate Tigers - who kicked 10.17 for the match – is an abrupt end to their flag defence and means the GDFL will have a new premier for the first time since 2018.

“It was a tale of two halves really. The first half we were scintillating really, playing really good footy. We were getting contributions from everyone all over the ground,” East Geelong coach Tom Cordner-Maas said.

“There were key moments in the last quarter where we needed to step up and we did that which was good, but it was good to over the line.

“They were breaking tackles at will, they were playing good footy but we were really off our game defensively which let them do what they want to do and move the ball how they wanted to move it.

“That was the frustrating bit from my part.”

HEARTBROKEN HETHERINGTON

Heatherington looked like he wanted to crawl into a hole post-match.

The young big man was clearly the best player on the ground with a dominant performance up forward and in the ruck, taking countless marks and having 11 shots on goal.

The only issue was his goalkicking.

After missing three opportunities early, Hetherington looked to have his kicking boots on again after slotting his third in the third term.

But he got a serious case of the yips from there, missing three conventional set shots in the third term – including one from close range – and another in the last.

His goalkicking clearly got the better of him, passing off two more opportunities in the final quarter when he was within range – one of those after marking on the boundary 10m out from goal.

Hetherington would finish the game with 4.7, but he certainly wasn’t the only player who missed chances throughout the day.

Callum Hetherington kicked four goals and nearly won them the match, but was inaccurate in front of goal. Picture: Mark Wilson

Bannockburn coach Ron Pilgrim said he offered words of encouragement to the distraught Hetherington at three-quarter-time and after the loss.

Pilgrim lauded Hetherington’s talent and character, saying he can hold his head high after keeping them in the game with his efforts.

“I said this to him, you can have days where you don’t think you’ve gone great – as in helping the team win – but he actually kept us in the game and nearly helped us win the game,” Pilgrim said.

“My message to Cal would be continue doing what you’re doing, he’s an outstanding kid and he’s an outstanding talent.

“He doesn’t need to improve on too much besides his goalkicking but as a player and a person he is first class.

“He’s still only a young fella, he’s 22 I think years of age and he’s missed a lot of footy through injury. He contributed really well to us getting to a grand final and winning a grand final last year.

“I don’t know whether people know but he spent half the game in the ruck. He is playing on a league medallist and I thought he was a fair bit in front of Timmy.”

But Pilgrim was well aware of the cost of his side’s inaccuracy in front of goal, saying it was ultimately the difference in the tight contest.

“We had a lot of scoring opportunities but didn’t score them. In a final you need to do that to put the pressure on the opposition. And unfortunately we kicked too many points and not enough goals,” Pilgrim said.

“If you don’t take your opportunities late in a game, that’s probably what hurt us in the end.”

Originally published as GDFL finals 2023: East Geelong hang on in thriller over Bannockburn as inaccurate star left shattered