MCUE final quarter comeback virtually seals finals spots, shatters Tigers' hopes | Photos

The Goannas trailed Wagga Tigers by 32 points at three quarter time on Saturday. Having struggled to hit the side of a barn all day and managing just three goals by that stage, a comeback looked unlikely.

Rowe urged his side to take the game on, throw any caution out the window and, basically, don't die wondering.

MCUE then booted seven goals to two in the last quarter to win by a point, 10.12 (72) to 10.11 (71).

Initially the scoreboard had the match down as a draw. Goanna Ethan Schiller's second goal from the boundary for the quarter gave MCUE its first lead with about 25 minutes elapsed, after Max Hanrahan booted three of his four goals in the term.

Then Xavier Heeney goaled for Tigers after receiving a free kick in the goal square. A stalemate looked the result, until umpires added on a behind they had missed in the final term a couple of minutes after the siren.

After sputtering their way to fourth place and a 5-4 start, a loss to the Tigers would have put their rivals just a game behind them in the race for a top five spot.

Having ended Ganmain-Grong Grong-Matong's unbeaten run last week, the Tigers picked up where they left off with three quick goals.

The Goannas didn't kick a goal until midway through the second quarter, having kicked 0.7 to start, with full forward Trent Castles especially wasteful.

However in the last quarter they couldn't miss, with most of their goals coming from long range or near the boundary line.

It was a quarter which could prove the turning points for MCUE, but it was as deflating as it gets for the Tigers who watched their finals hopes evaporate in less than half an hour of footy.

For three quarters they were clearly the better side, but once MCUE pushed the full throttle button they had no answer.

"It looked highly unlikely and I'm more than happy to admit departing from that three quarter time address it was a one in a hundred chance," Rowe said.

"I didn't predict it happening but I saw in the huddle the guys were going to go out there and try.

"What I find incredible from a coaching standpoint is when we were at our most urgent, had to roll the dice and take everything on, that's when we were at our most composed.

"As much as I said I'm not going to be a killjoy because this is incredibly exciting for us, we have to unpack the first three quarters because they were terrible. But at this stage the players deserve to celebrate because it takes a fair bit of ticker and self belief to pull the result out like they did."

A gutsy call to send Castles to ruck in the last term, even though he looked one of the few likely to kick the goals they needed despite his off day with the boot, paid off.

MCUE dominated the clearances and the constant onslaught took its toll on the Tigers.

"WE know full well the opposition are going to get numbers back on Trent, and Murray (Stephenson, Tigers defender and coach) is as good at it as anyone," Rowe said.

"We thought if we put Trent into the middle, it was six moving parts (up forward) we weren't always going to go to.

"I'll give Trent 100 per cent credit, I said at three quarter time to turn yourself our for five minutes and when you're cooked go forward, but he's rucked the whole last quarter.

"We wouldn't have won it without his last quarter.

"If you haven't played well for three quarters you can still influence a game of footy, and Trent's an example of not getting selfish and thinking I'm still up for the fight. That's what he did and that's what a number of guys did."

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Rowe said he initially rationalised the result when he thought it was a draw that they had maintained a two win gap over the Tigers.

But after a behind was added on, the win virtually sealed a finals place.

"We've been hoping to win this year and I want to get back to expecting to win, and that could be the turning point," he said.

"When it (behind) ticked over you almost get emotional because you care about it so much, and it's a special feeling."

MCUE's Brayden Ambler and Tiger Shaun Flanigan both left the field after clashing heads in a sickening incident which left Ambler knocked out for a period.

Thankfully both players walked off the field but are likely to miss some football.

"We have to worry about (Brayden's) health and that's all I care about," Rowe said.

"I'm a bit worried he's going to be sick after that, concussion symptoms and nausea. He's going to have to be closely monitored and really looked after."

Stephenson said the fourth quarter was hard to take, but also lamented some missed chances when the Tigers had the foot on their throat early.

"A couple of things came back to bite us. We weren't good in the last quarter, not enough pressure on the ball and got caught out ball watching too much, and they got out the back too easily," he said.

"Early on we had a couple of chances that went missing, running into an open goal and managing to butcher it.

"When we had a stranglehold on the game we had to take those opportunities and not take it for granted.

"It's pretty sour to lose the way we did and in the context of the season."

MCUE 0.3 2.8 3.10 10.12 (72) d WAGGA TIGERS 5.4 6.6 8.11 10.11 (71)

Goals: MCUE - Max Hanrahan 4, Ethan Schiller 2, Trent Castles, Matt Collins, Wesley Clark, Ryan Turnbull; Wagga Tigers - Nathan Cooke 2, Jesse Manton 2, Jock Cornell 2, Jeremy Lucas, Ashley Bennett, Xavier Heeney, Cooper Pavitt

Best: MCUE - Wagga Tigers - Murray Stephenson, Brady Morton, Lewis Waters, Jock Cornell, Shaun Flanigan, Ignatius Lyons; MCUE - Jonathan Male, Christian Palombi, Ethan Schiller, Nick Collins, Max Hanrahan, Trent Castles

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