A Brieghton Shea goal in the final two minutes gifted Baldivis a win in a thrilling top-two clash against Pinjarra at Baldivis Oval on Saturday afternoon.
The Brumbies trailed the Tigers by less than a goal when Shea found himself lining up for a set shot from a tough angle 45 metres out near the boundary line.
The talented goal kicker went undaunted by the pressure, slotting the goal that netted the Brumbies an 8.9 (57) to 7.12 (54) win over the reigning premiers, elevating them to sole possession of top spot.
The game was a thriller in every sense of the word, living up to the hype of a battle of unbeaten outfits with a two-point margin being the biggest at any interval.
Pinjarra seemed to have the hot hand at the start but recorded several behinds, leaving them just two points ahead of quarter time.
Baldivis moved to just a point in front at the end of the first half, before scores were level heading into the fourth.
The Tigers were up with a shade of breathing space in the final minutes, but a 50m penalty netted the Brumbies a goal to cut the lead to less than one straight kick.
From there, Shea was able to work his magic and Baldivis defended desperately to hold on for the win as the clock wound down.
Sam Barndon was a force for the Brumbies throughout the game, with coach Craig Hamersley heaping high praise on his gun half back.
“When Sam’s up and going it helps our team out so much,” he said.
“He’s probably the best user of the football in this competition, and when we can get him using those skills he has it’s a real asset for us.”
Hamersley said his side was pumped on the back of the win, which confirmed their already strongly backed claims of being a premiership contender.
“When we said we want to win five out of our first six, this was the game we thought ‘well, we won’t be favourites in this one’, so to be 3-0 after it is really pleasing,” he said.
“I feel like we just got a lot of our match-ups right, and thankfully the ball came our way in the final few minutes.
“We know Pinjarra are the benchmark, so to get that win, we’re really stoked.”
Ex-Fremantle Docker and WAFL star Brock O’Brien played his first game with Pinjarra since beginning his WAFL career over a decade ago, booting a pair of goals.
But it wasn’t enough to secure the win for the Tigers, who dropped their first game since round 12 last year, which also came at the hands of Baldivis.
Justin Rake
Sports journalist for the Mandurah Mail, Australian Community Media, Fairfax Media.
Sports journalist for the Mandurah Mail, Australian Community Media, Fairfax Media.
