On a gloomy Sunday morning at Deakin Reserve, the Bulldogs held firm to claim a consecutive Goulburn Murray Junior League under-14 division two premiership.
Up against Moama, Tatura hunkered down in a low-scoring affair to emerge a 3.7 (25) to 3.2 (20) winner and see the flag head back west down the Midland Hwy.
Ryder Ohlsen capitalised in the ninth minute of the match, latching on to a swirling roost from Jack Mahoney and slotting through from point blank range.
That was the only major converted in the first quarter, but in the second term, Moama decided to come back in a big way as Ben McRae crashed a monster set shot through the big sticks.
The Magpies went bang again while the third quarter was still fresh, leaving the ball in Tatura’s court as to whether or not the Bulldogs had the bite to bounce back.
Boy oh boy, they sure did.
Not long after, Ayden Sullivan made no mistake after the umpire paid a free kick in dangerous territory and the young headgear-sporting Bulldog spun it in to give Tatura a three-point advantage.
Moama’s Hamish Teasdale did his best to vault the Magpies back ahead with a calm kick three minutes into the final arm wrestle and, with that, most on the ground knew fine margins would separate the sides.
Tatura needed a hero and quick.
Cue Mahoney.
The young dual talent seized his chance with less than two minutes left on the clock as Sullivan’s long kick dribbled perilously close to out of bounds.
Mahoney was a boy possessed as he rushed after the pill, getting hands on it before sinking it home to provide just what the doctor ordered for the onlooking Bulldogs fans.
It provided a fitting end to a thumping game of junior football, setting up what eventually was a spectacular day (minus the later thunderstorms) at Deakin Reserve.
Hugh Crawford, Sidney Nihill and Grant Tivendale were acknowledged as some of Tatura’s best, while Mahoney will go down as the hero for his eleventh-hour goal.
