Leading deep into the final quarter in the match against Seymour they opted to then kick themselves out of the race for the flag.
Nineteen shots to 14 should be a big win.
But Seymour 7.7 (49) to 5.14 (44) is evidence one of the oldest adages still rings true – bad kicking is bad football.
Riding on the back of a brilliant performance from Riley Clarke, the Murray Bombers 5.14 repeatedly wasted opportunities in front of goal and in the rooms post-match, coach Troy Murphy told his side it was simply not the right moment for the bottle green.
“The effort was there all game from you,” he said.
“Unfortunately, it just wasn’t our day today.”
With a sombre mood in the club rooms at the end of the contest, Murphy told his players to embrace the emotion of the game.
This is going to hurt for a long time,” he said.
“That’s footy sometimes. It’s not always going to go your way, and that’s unfortunate. But we are still a very young group, there are a lot of guys in here who have the quality to play senior football.
“A lot of you I thought would be regulars in the senior side at stages, and I think a lot of you are going to be regulars in the seniors in the next year. We still have a lot of footy to play together.”
But while his team were suffering post loss, he told them to remember that the day was about so much more than the game.
“Don’t let it hurt you too much today,” he said.
“There is a fantastic group of supporters who have made their way here to watch and to share the moment with you. Go and have that time with them; and go and cheer the seniors on.
“We are one club, it’s about all of us, so let’s go and enjoy this with all of our club.”
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