Grasshoppers bounce back from Wombats’ surge to claim Kyabram District Football League premiership

A flash of 10 fingers is shown Foley’s way from the box.

“10 minutes?” Foley yells, puzzled.

“Seconds,” is the reply.

The Grasshopper coach jumps and hugs whoever is nearby on the Grasshoppers bench, with pure elation and ecstasy plastered across his face.

Murchison-Toolamba has done it.

Foley’s side is home, just.

Just a fortnight ago, Murchison-Toolamba booked its place in the 2025 Kyabram District League grand final with a goal after the siren against Lancaster.

Who would’ve thought two weeks later that game may not have been the best finish to a KDL game this season.

In pristine conditions at Mooroopna, the stage was set for a skilful and classy affair between the Grasshopper and Wombat rivals.

While it may not have been determined with the very last kick of the game, the unfolding drama late and the stakes on the line leaves it to be the most captivating clash of the season.

As the siren sounded and the ruckmen’s boots first left the ground, seas of green and gold and blue and yellow flooded the boundary fence in between other KDL clubs celebrating or commiserating their earlier grand final performances.

Following an opening patch of high-pressure footy, Murchison-Toolamba made its move to draw first blood.

A punt pumped inside by Lachy Seddon trickled over the back of the pack, with Leigh Wellington sliding a toe onto the ball at the line to poke it through ahead of a desperate Lancaster defender.

But in signs of foreshadowing, Lancaster would respond, as live wire forward Morrie Serra bobbed up for a mark inside 50, kicking truly and turning to the Wombats faithful in the crowd to rev his side up.

The tensions between rivals was evident despite the words in the week that the pair of clubs expected a clean battle, and it didn’t take long for words to lead to war, as Noah Sewell goaled from the goal line and shoved his opposite number to the ground in celebration as the battle heated up.

The Grasshoppers chose not to retaliate though, instead making its response with the football as star key forward James Lloyd opened up his account for the day.

The number 17 later kicked a second to tie the game up, before plucking the ball out of a juggling Lancaster defender’s grasp, giving hands to Jai Utiger who kicked truly from 20 metres out on a slight angle.

However, Serra continued to be a dangerous threat up forward for the Wombats, with a strange call back meaning he was unrewarded for darting through and roving a stoppage, but was soon on the end of another inside 50 entry, however, he missed narrowly left.

The Hoppers seemed to be storming away by half time, a rapid change of tune to the first quarter proceedings, but Lancaster worked its way down field to find a kick on the siren.

A 50-metre bomb from Riley O’Neill provided a much needed team lifter for Lancaster as the teams hit the sheds with Murchison-Toolamba leading 7.5 (47) to 4.6 (30).

As the third quarter continued though, it felt it would be the Hoppers’ day - deliberate short passes picked apart a struggling Wombats structure, and Murchison was making it look all too easy.

But as the Grasshoppers breezed through the Wombats, the hunger seemed to stall somewhat.

Not hunting on the front foot as it had previously, Murchison-Toolamba began to allow a momentum shift.

Lancaster was slowly inching its way back.

A massive 50-metre call in the context of the game provided a gift of a goal for the Hoppers to relieve the club of the Wombats’ growing presence on the contest and tension in the game, but it was not all to waste for Lancaster.

A goal out of nothing to Blake McAuliffe breathed life back into the game - and boy, was it a lot of life.

The Wombats cleared a long and high skied ball out of the centre, yet it somehow bounced without a touch in the middle of the forward arc, skidding through to Phil Carroll who turned and snapped off a step.

All of a sudden, the game was back to nine points and the Grasshoppers were losing structure.

Kick-ins continued to be returned deep inside 50, but the Wombats, despite individual brilliance and selfless plays, would kick another three behinds.

Then the one man Lancaster had relied on all day stepped up to the plate - enter Serra.

The shifty small soared for a spectacular hang in the goal square and finally the reward for effort was granted for Lancaster, and as the three quarter time siren sounded, the game was all tied up, 9.6 (60) to 8.12 (60).

The final quarter went goal-for-goal in the early going, and it was clear either side needed a spark.

The liveliest players all day had been evident from the start - Grasshoppers’ Lloyd and Wombats’ Serra.

Both would have their moments late, for better or for worse.

Lloyd, who had earlier kicked a third to surpass the goalkicking century for the season, converted after marking on the lead to hand the Grasshoppers the lead back, before Serra was awarded a high free kick, yet he would falter in the high pressure moment.

The football ping-ponged end to end as either side played a helter skelter brand, but once again it was Lloyd who stamped his authority on the contest, in one of the greatest clutch goals the league has seen.

On the cusp of the arc, tucked away on the boundary line, Lloyd laced a picture-perfect punt through the middle of the big sticks.

Some fans roared, others looked around speechless, one iconically called “are you kidding me?!”

It was as remarkable a takeover late in the game as the KDL has seen.

“How good was it?” Foley said post-game, as Lloyd claimed the best-on-ground medallion.

But the contest was not yet over.

Lancaster found its way back to its forward half and a contact below the knees call after a grubby inside 50 play saw Zaid Besim deliver a steadying major.

As bodies fatigued and pressure ramped up, each kick was turnover-for-turnover with panicked possession aiming for as much territory as possible.

As the game entered the final minute, the scramble ticked up one final notch and it was the Grasshoppers who took their moment.

Qualifying final hero Aaron Miller wrapped up a Lancaster defender double his stature and won a holding the ball free inside 50.

His following kick skewed, but Luke Jones laid another tackle right back.

It was as Jones chewed off the shot clock and found another open target to drain the game that coach Foley looked to the timekeeper’s box, with the scores reading 13.9 (87) to 12.13 (85).

Murchison-Toolamba was premier of the KDL again, the club’s first back-to-back feat in its history.

A beaming Foley, nearly overawed with emotion, lauded his side’s resilience as Lancaster made its second half charge.

“In the second quarter the boys played really well but I thought in that third quarter, they went back in their shells,” the premiership coach said.

“They really challenged us Lancaster, but gee, they're a good club.

“But the resilience of the boys, I think they ran back to the week before, where we were three goals down at three quarter time and we ran over the top.

“I'm so proud of them, they fought and they fought and we got the win.”