LATE GOAL STUFF OF LEGEND

INVERLEIGH SNATCHES TOP WIN

IT was revenge in more ways than one for Inverleigh’s Jakeb Templeton.

Slotting the matchwinning goal in a heart-stopping clash with Bannockburn, Templeton revealed he’d squared a family ledger with his heroics on Saturday.

“Ben Cole is my cousin and he kicked the point after the siren to win the game for Banno last time, so it felt good to get one back,” Templeton said.

“After the game he said ‘you bloody bastard’ and I said ‘oh well, I kick goals, you kick points’ and we had a laugh about it.”

Templeton, 23, was the man of the moment as the Hawks snapped Bannockburn’s unbeaten record and stole top spot on the GDFL ladder. “It was unbelievable,” he said. “I’ve always dreamt of kicking a goal after the siren, but a minute beforehand will do. “I’ll take it every day of the week.” With less than two minutes to play at Inverleigh Recreation Reserve, Templeton was among a cluster vying for the ball at half forward.

The Tigers nudged it to centre wing, where Dalton Grundell dished out a handball to Dean Muir, who found Jack Fiolet. He switched the ball across the ground, where Daniel Grozdanovski collected the Sherrin on the bounce and drove it inside 50.

Having dashed forward to provided a target alongside Jak Kennedy-Hunt, Templeton took the easiest of marks on the chest and went back for a set shot, almost directly in front of goal, 40m out. He admitted he was relaxed, knowing any score would put the Hawks in front.

“It was a draw and I knew I had the distance,” Templeton said. “All I had to do was score. The bench had yelled out the time and I knew there was probably only a minute left.

“I had Mick Groz next to me and he calmed me down. He told me to take my time and waste more seconds off the clock.”

In a stirring moment, Templeton drilled the goal and was mobbed by his teammates.

“It’s definitely the best goal I’ve ever kicked in my career,” Templeton said.