Tense struggle begins in first half
Alow scoring first half set the scene for an intense struggle for the Ellinbank District Football League senior premiership.
Having entered the match sweating on the fitness of midfield jet Dylan Heylen, who had sustained a serious neck injury in an innoucuous incident mid-way through the season, the Saints entered the grand final with its full list at its disposal.
Adam Tagliaferro also took his place in the side, overcoming a shoulder concern, while Anthony Galley had satisfactorily recovered from a knock in the second semi final.
The Crows entered the contest with the same side they had played throghout the finals in hope of taking it up to the Saints, who had been the form team of the competition.
Wet conditions saw the match mirror the earlier games and become a scrap from start to finish.
Longwarry showed the first signs of getting their run going, breaking along the wing but the entry into forward 50 drifted out of bounds.
It started a tense quarter where neither side could manage a goal.
The Crows went long with both Daniel Fry and Fia Tootoo flying for the ball, but the Saints were able to clear with a free kick.
Fry was marked for most of the match by Shaun Beecroft, who had been successfulk in nullifying him in previous matches.
Cole Cook showed his pace to deliver to Fry, who in turn found Braydon McHugh but his snap on goal missed.
Cory Lenders continued the period of Longwarry dominance, finding Harley Jones but he slipped on his kick to allow the Saints to rush a behind.
Jones was back in the action soon after, sliping a tackle, but his snap drifted out of bounds.
Fry got a snap away from a boundary throw in, but his shot held up in the wind to allow Nyora to mark on the last line of defence.
A clever handball inboard set up another opportunity, but the connecting kick missed its target in the slippery conditions.
Danny Wells cut off a Saints defensive rebound and went searching for Fry, only for Beecroft to make a timely spoil.
McHugh made a searching lead and passed short to Fry, who in turn went inboard to Russell Lehman in space, but his shot missed in the face of the challenging wind.
Had it been dry conditions, the Crows may well have been well in front, but only had three behinds to show for their early dominance in the wet conditions.
Nyora began to work their way into the contest in the later stags of the quarter but struggled to score themselves, with Galley kicking into the man on the mark.
The lights were turned on during the second term in a bid to combat the dark conditions.
The Crows scrambled a goal during the early stages of the second term and it looked as if they would be better suited to the conditions.
Schultz made a big snap forward into space, but the desperate soccer under pressure missed.
The Saints cut off a kick from defence and went short to Schultz, but his shot dropped short and the Crows were able to force a rushed behind.
A spoil to Tootoo and intercept from Cook saw both sides denied a final attack.
The crowd could scarcely believe it as the sides went into the sheds with just one goal scored in the half of football.
It was the Crows who dominated the start of the third term.
The Crows worked from defence through Danny Wells and Lenders, but Fry was spoiled and Tootoo was able to clear.
Attempts to evade the Nyora defence went unrewarded as the Saints were able to force the ball out.
The Crows went forward looking for Fry again, but he was outpointed by two Nyora defenders.
Jones made a ferocious attack on the ball to try and get something going, but a ball up was forced.
A snap only travelled as far as Nyora’s Kallon Rigby as the Crows were denied again.
Conditions improved and it was the Saints who made better, scoring three qucik goals and then defending their lead against a desperate Longwarry in the final quarter.