By Marcus Uhe
A clutch goal from Nashua Wood moments before the final siren saw Rowville prevail in a second heart-stopper in three weeks by five points against South Croydon on Saturday.
At a ball-up deep in the Rowville forward 50 with the Hawks trailing by one point in the final minute of the contest, a South Croydon defender was forced to clear the ball from the danger zone rather than rush a behind, but his hurried kick sailed over the boundary line on the full.
Wood, the closest Hawk to the infringement, signalled his intent immediately by pointing to the goals as he awaited a spectator to retrieve the Sherrin at Cheong Park, preparing for a kick that would have major ramifications on the fate of the Hawks’ September aspirations.
Given Balwyn’s win over Berwick, losing would have resulted in the Hawks dropping to third place, where a top-two finish affords the chance to qualify for the last day in September with just a solitary victory, in the second week of the finals.
With time of the essence in the 26th minute, he reached the top of his approach against the fence and began the slow walk to goal almost immediately.
As he crossed the boundary line in the left forward pocket, Wood made a slight arc to his right to improve the angle and set sail with a drop punt on his right foot.
You could cut the tension in the air with a knife as the kick floated in its trajectory but there was no mistaking the roar from Rowville teammates and supporters as the ball traversed its way over the goal umpire’s hat, the Hawks snatching the lead 13.13 91 to 13.8 86.
When the final siren blew as the umpire made his way to the middle of the goal-face to signal for six points, Hawks teammates swamped the match-winner in the decisive pocket while their Bulldog opponents slumped to the turf in disbelief.
Where Rowville are in contention to earn a double-chance when finals begin in three weeks’ time, South Croydon are fighting for their survival in Premier Division, currently ranked second last and in the dreaded ‘drop zone’ four points behind Park Orchards in 10th.
A win would have seen them leapfrog Park Orchards on percentage, but instead the battle continues.
Wood’s winner capped a remarkable comeback from the Hawks, who trailed by 20 points early in the final term of a game mired in momentum swings.
An upset brewed early in the contest as South Croydon led by 31 points at quarter time, powering away on the back of a six-goal run in the first quarter.
Rowville kicked two of the first three goals of the contest before the Bulldogs engaged and overwhelmed their higher-ranked opponents with ruthless efficiency inside the forward 50.
The change of ends worked wonders for the Hawks, who slammed on the first five of the second quarter in a blistering 18 minutes of football to snatch the lead late in the term, before South Croydon stopped the run with a major of its own.
Rowville took a one-point lead into the long break but then went goalless in the third quarter to trail by 15 at three-quarter-time, setting the scene for another famous comeback.
After the Bulldogs took the ball the length of the ground from a kick-out to open the quarter, Rowville responded through Lachlan Wynd and Jackson McDonald to cut the lead to eight points.
South Croydon answered back with what would come to be its final goal of the afternoon to restore a 14-point buffer at the halfway point of the term, desperate to secure the four points for just the fourth time in 2023.
Copper Stainthorpe and other calm heads in the back half diffused a number of tense situations as two goals from Maverick Taylor kept the Hawks afloat in the critical contest, before Wood iced the contest at the death.
The decisive blow carried eerie similarities to Collingwood’s Jamie Elliott’s heroics against Essendon at the MCG in 2022, who broke Bomber hearts as the Magpies established their brand as comeback kings.
For a side that suffered two match-losing collapses in the final quarter in the first two weeks of the campaign against Noble Park and Balwyn, last-gasp victories against Doncaster East in round 13 and now South Croydon demonstrate learning and growth from such adversity.
Taylor (three) Wood and Wynd (two each) were the multiple goalkickers for the Hawks, with Wynd climbing back to the top of the leading goalkicker’s list on 44.
Midfielders Lachlan Stapleton, Anthony Brolic and Jackson McDonald starred for Ben Wise’s side, who weathered the absences of Jake Arundell and Tyler Edwards, who were selected for Box Hill and Casey, respectively, in round 19 of the VFL.
A grand final rematch against Noble Park awaits next week, with more than just revenge on the line in what is fast becoming a must-watch contest in suburban football.
A Hawks victory would make it five in a row and 10 of its last 11, as well as make life particularly difficult for their opponents in their quest to stay alive in 2023 and defend its premiership, clinging to sixth place ahead of Blackburn, one game back.
