IT was a case of déjà vu for Western Australia as the same group that beat Country to the National Championship title at Under-16 level with the last kick of the game did exactly the same two years later, winning a thriller by five points.

A Regan Clarke set shot just before the siren cancelled out Ned Cahill’s soccer goal to pinch the lead, with absolute scenes ensuing at Marvel Stadium after what was a rather slow first three quarters.

The visitors started brightly, bossing general play with the ball locked into their forward half and Country unable to create any form of rebound. Arguably the standout of the opening term, Jeremy Sharp started the scoring as he held onto a neat Elijah Taylor pass across the arc and kicked truly, with Callum Jamieson snaring WA’s second as he snatched the ball from Isaac Wareham and dribbled home, while Jai Jackson compounded a dominant first 15 minutes with his own set shot conversion. An injury to Riley Garcia as he fell awkwardly in a marking contest soured the look of the scoreboard, with the Sandgropers breaking to an even three-goal lead. Cahill missed a cut-edge opportunity late in the piece with time added on, opting for a shot with teammates screaming for it inside 50.

The second term started with much of the same, but WA’s Jamieson and Nathan O’Driscoll, and Sharp all missed set shot chances in the first seven minutes. The visitors just seemed to have greater numbers around the ball, with the likes of Liam Henry spreading best to get them moving forward. Meanwhile, Country lacked fluency in all areas as they struggled again to get the ball moving out of defence – as even the likes of Hayden Young and Lachlan Ash found themselves turning the ball over by foot. Logan McDonald snapped the streak of behinds at the fourth and fifth time of asking for WA, slotting a set shot and soccering off the ground to compile the misery for Country. Ned Cahill finally broke through for the home side’s first goal, earning a free kick at the bottom of the pack and making amends for his earlier miss. The struggle continued for them though as they got forward to no avail, with WA’s spare behind the ball proving more than handy as they led by 25 points at the main break.

A typically shrewd Cody Weightman snap early in the third term made it unlikely back-to-back goals for Country for the first time in the game. Their small momentum shift was quelled relatively quickly though as Tyrone Thorne dribble home a nice goal, with deadlock again setting in shortly after. Ash comprehensively burst that bubble with a highlight reel run through the middle and booming kick inside 50 to Brodie Kemp, who duly sent another through the big sticks, and the big-bodied Pioneer backed it up with another mark and goal to cut the margin to 11 points heading into the final break.

A Nicholas Martin overhead grab backing back in the forward pocket was the first highlight of the fourth term, and he cut inboard to find Sharp in worlds of space. The East Fremantle would go on to miss the resultant shot, but Riley Baldi could not quite him pay up the other end – missing from close-range after a 50-metre penalty and Country forward-half possession. Another 50-metre penalty gave Charlie Comben the opportunity to cut the margin to just five points after he marked well in front of Luke Jackson, and he delivered with 10 minutes remaining. Caleb Serong almost put his side in front but saw his shot touched on the line, but Kemp again looked to be the saviour with a big clunk deep in the pocket – only to hit the post with the shot. Henry popped back up with two chances to stick the dagger in Country’s heart but missed both with just five minutes on the clock, but Ned Cahill had no such worries with an opportunistic soccer-goal from the goalsquare to momentarily pinch the lead. A lunging Serong tackle looked a game-winner as WA almost got a shot off, but Clarke’s mark and goal just before the siren ended up being just that in a memorable finish.

After the game, Deven Robertson was announced as Western Australia’s Most Valuable Player (MVP), while Serong was named Vic Country’s top prospect for the carnival.

FINAL SCORES:
VC: 0.3 | 1.4 | 4.6 | 6.10 (46)
WA: 3.3 | 5.5 | 6.5 | 7.9 (51)

GOALS:
VC: N. Cahill 2, B. Kemp 2, C. Weightman, C. Comben
WA: L. McDonald 2, J. Sharp, C. Jamieson, J. Jackson, T. Thorne, R. Clarke

ADC BEST:

VC: S. Flanders, B. Kemp, H. Young, S. De Koning, L. Ash, C. Serong
WA: L. Henry, J. Sharp, D. Robertson, N. O’Driscoll, D. Grainger-Baras, L. Jackson