A famous Australian rules football adage states that the third term is the ‘premiership quarter’, where the important moves are made that will likely decide the match’s outcome.
That’s what Euroa believed last Saturday afternoon, and without the benefit of hindsight, it looked like the right move.
The Magpies trailed Rochester 43-31 at halftime in round seven of the Goulburn Valley Football League before Ryan Pendlebury’s side made its move by bursting out of the blocks following the main break.
Euroa outscored Rochester 31-6 in the third term (or premiership quarter) and arguably should have been ahead by more, given the Magpies had 11 scoring shots to the Tigers’ one.
The third term was nearly perfect for Euroa as it took a 13-point lead into the final term, but did the Magpies go too early?
In the fourth quarter, Rochester regained control of the match, kicking 3.3 to Euroa’s 0.2, eventually taking back the lead and securing the all-important four points.
Led by star midfielder Mitch Trewhella (who had a monster final term with 12 disposals, six contested possessions, four inside 50s and six clearances) and Dillon Williams (eight disposals, four marks and two goal involvements), the Tigers were able to time their run to perfection.
Rochester won the ball at the source in the final quarter as its players dominated the disposal count (97-68), hard ball gets (17-8) and marks (21-12).
The Tigers owned the football, which in turn led to more opportunities to score, winning inside 50s 14-7.
Rochester’s fourth quarter statistical wins vs Euroa
Disposals: 97-68
Contested possessions: 44-34
Groundball gets: 32-23
Hard ball gets: 17-8
Marks: 21-12
Inside 50s: 14-7
The News senior sports reporter Liam Nash referenced ancient Greek philosophers in his GVL Data story earlier this week, so this article will try to compare this game to something equally academically minded and respected...
In the movie The Fast and the Furious (the first in the franchise), the importance of timing your NOS (nitrous oxide, a gas used to boost a car’s speed in drag racing) is emphasised during one of the early scenes.
Brian O’Conner (Paul Walker’s character) is an eager, young, talented driver who takes on Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel), a calm and seasoned veteran driver in a street race.
O’Conner’s character uses his NOS boost too early in the race (like Euroa in the third quarter), only to watch Toretto storm past him, timing his run to perfection (as Rochester did in the fourth term) to claim the win.
Of course, the concept of timing your run in football is very different than in a race, and the Magpies will be ruing their missed opportunities in front of goal (kicking 8.16 for the match), especially in that third-quarter rush.
However, maybe this game will soften football’s old idea of the third term being the ‘premiership quarter’ while emphasising that momentum doesn’t last for ever, so you had better make the most of it.
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