By Bruno Visentini
Trailing by as much as 29 points early in the last term, not many would’ve given Coburg a chance to come back against Port Melbourne at Piranha Park on Sunday. It was always going to take a massive effort to claw back such a deficit, much less in the muddy conditions after scoring only 5 goals in the first 3 quarters, but that was of no concern for the Lions. A massive final quarter comeback saw the Lions walk out 5-point victors in one of the most exciting finishes of the VFL season.
The Borough came out strong in the first half with their efficiency when entering the forward 50 being the main factor separating the two sides. Making the most of their opportunities while Coburg struggled with accuracy and generating scoring shots saw the margin blow out as high as 35 points at one stage. But the last quarter saw the game flipped on its head when Coburg kicked an incredibly accurate 6 goals and zero behinds to absolutely storm home and notch up a fourth win this season.
The win carried significant weight for the club, with the game against Port Melbourne also marking two important occasions. Sunday was the sixth time Coburg has hosted Vicki Cleary Day to honour the women killed by men and raise awareness about the extent of violence against women. The game was also vice-captain Flynn Gentile’s 50th VFL match, with the crafty midfielder rapidly reaching the milestone having not missed a single game since his debut in 2022.
The game got underway and Port Melbourne took the upper hand early with the wind in their favour in the first term. Goals to Archi Manton and Owen Mulady had Port up early and Lions just couldn’t capitalise and reply in the right way. Coburg’s misfortune didn’t end there though, when a double 50 metre penalty put Tom Highmore in the goalsquare to slot the Borough’s third of the day.
Port Melbourne almost had another goal late in the term, but the umpire called a Coburg free kick just before Billy Gowers’ dribble kick had a chance to go through. Only seconds later the quarter time siren would ring, relieving in some ways for Coburg but the goals column of the scoreboard was yet to be filled for Coburg, trailing with 4 behinds at the break to Port Melbourne’s 3.2 (20).
Coburg were fortunate enough to kick their first via Kyle Weightman early in the second quarter, but Port were back to how they played in the first term where they managed to find the goals much easier than Coburg. The Borough went on to score the next four goals and managed lead the contest by a game-high 35 points. Things became worrisome for the Lions faithful watching in the crowd, but Max Thompson stepped up after winning a holding the ball free kick and kicked a desperately needed set shot to breathe life into Coburg’s chances late in the term.
A late chance went astray with a shot on goal for Coburg hitting the post and Port Melbourne’s half time lead was bigger than the quarter time margin, leading 7.5 (47) to 2.7 (19). The Lions lead in stats that usually indicate which team is leading like disposals (185-150), clearances (20-17) and inside 50s (28-25), but with the Borough making the Lions pay for errors around the ground, something needed to change in the second half for Coburg to have a sniff at victory.
Coburg would score the first goal in the second term with a shift up forward for Ryan Sturgess paying some dividends. After receiving a 50 metre penalty, he slotted an important goal that would hopefully indicate that momentum had swung in Coburg’s favour. And while it was less of a Port-dominant quarter, the Borough still managed to do what they’d done all day, even if slightly less effectively.
Archi Manton kicked his fourth of the day for Port, but the Lions countered it just a minute later when Henry Brown dribbled through a quick goal. Ryan Sturgess was back in amongst in getting on the end of a chain and slotting another set shot for his second that brought the margin to an even three goals. Unfortunately discipline was an area the Lions continued to struggle with, and Port Melbourne were able to turn a 50 metre penalty into another goal, the last of the third term.
With Port Melbourne leading by 23 points at the last change, the task was difficult for Coburg. The intensity of the contest had been high, even with the margin at hand, so the urgency wasn’t lost on either team. But even if Coburg held Port scoreless, it’d still require their highest scoring quarter of the game to be able to win the match. Nobody would’ve lost belief, but it was not lost on anybody just how big a task winning this match would be.
The job got even more difficult when Felix Flockhart kicked around the body to extend Port’s lead with the first score of the final quarter and pushed the margin out to 29 points. And with the middle of Piranha Park becoming a true mud pit as the game went on, precision around the ball became harder to execute. Nonetheless, Coburg caught a second wind and started to attack like never before. The Lions were on the board with a goal as Ben Major’s snap kick went high into the sky but travelled past the goal line to take the margin under 4 goals. The question now was could they keep up this intensity?
The comeback was well and truly in order a few minutes later as Max Thompson had a difficult set shot after he was caught high in a tackle. Needing to be as composed as possible, he sent it through the middle and let out a roar to the Coburg fans who began to believe that the Lions could bring home the four points. A territory battle ensued, but Coburg broke free and Ryan Sturgess had the footy in his hands aiming for his third of the day in a spot that was no challenge for him. His goal brought the margin to 11 points with half of the final term left to play.
A Port Melbourne behind had the margin at exactly two goals but the Lions cleverly brought the ball down the other end finding Mitch Podhajski in his return game. His position was tough to score from, but he was as cool as ice to bring the Lions the closest they’d been since early in the first quarter. Momentum was firmly in Coburg’s favour and another goal would level the match up completely. A stoppage in the Lions’ forward line ensued and as Max Thompson ran with the footy he was caught high again. With all the eyes on him and a ton of pressure to make his kick count, Thompson’s kick was a beauty to have the scores at 69 apiece.
The Borough weren’t out of the contest just yet, only a few minutes later they were on the attack and Archi Manton, who had kicked 4 goals straight thus far, won a free kick in a difficult spot to score from. Any score would put Port Melbourne ahead and although he didn’t manage a major score, his behind did just that. Trailing once again, the Lions just needed a good chain of possessions to have a chance to lead for the first time since scoring the opening behind of the match.
It wasn’t easy, but the perfect opportunity arose for the Lions and the milestone man Flynn Gentile found Ryan Sturgess cleanly who had the chance to do the unthinkable and put the Lions in front late with his fourth goal of the game. The fairytale finish was back in action with Sturgess nailing the kick and sending the Lions fans into raptures. Being up by five points seemed unthinkable at three quarter time, yet with not long to go the Lions had to remain on top to keep their lead secure.
Neither side could get separation from the other, and after six minutes the arm wrestle was over, Coburg taking home the victory 11.9 (75) to 10.10 (70) on a very special day for the club. In unprecedented scenes, two players were named Lion of the Round. One being Ryan Sturgess following his second half masterclass and match winning goal, and the other being Josh D’Intinosante who in his shift to the midfield racked up 31 disposals, 4 marks and 4 tackles.
The Lions will now host Frankston in another huge battle between two standalone sides at Piranha Park. The Dolphins will be looking to secure their place in the top 10 after exceeding expectations all year while the Lions can jump as many as three spots with results going the right way. Get down to the game on Sunday to show your support for the Lions in what should be a fantastic contest.
