It was the cruellest of endings for Riddell in the Riddell District Football League grand final.
Clearly the underdogs coming in, the Bombers took it right up to a Diggers Rest side wanting to end a run of three straight grand final losses.
The Bombers tested the Burras, and pushed them to somewhere they hadn’t been before, extra time in a grand final after scores were level at the final siren.
Cameron Casson, who was the Bombers best, kicked the opening goal of extra time to put the Bombers in front, but they couldn’t hold on, going down 12.14 (86)–12.8 (80).
The Bombers made the most of opportunities early in the game, while the Burras struggled to convert.
No more than nine points separated the two teams in the first half.
The Bombers started the second half a man down after ruckman Brayden Allen was given a yellow card late in the first half. Despite being depleted, the Bombers held strong and, once back to a full complement of players, opened up a match-high 13-point lead.
It was then the Burras turn to be a man down with Mick Kilty sent from the ground.
However, when he returned Kilty proved to be a match winner, kicking two goals to level the scores in the dying moments of the game.
The Bombers fought bravely in extra time, but ran out of legs.
Bombers’ coach Jamie Elliott said he couldn’t be more proud of how players fought out the match.
“To come a tie and end the way it did … to come back after extra time, I thought we were out of tickets,” he said.
“But I was hoping, when the whips were cracking, we would get our nose in front. It just didn’t happen and a couple of their better players bobbed up.
“Once again, it was the dangerous players who got into good positions on the ground, and kept going – it was the same as the Broadford and Macedon matches.
“They recruited at higher end, and we had the young kids, who cracked in and had a go.”
Elliott said the signs are good for the future.
“We played the kids and got them through – developing is the way to go and we now have to keep developing other players and find a way.”
