Epping and St Mary’s have a habit of playing close matches and Sunday’s elimination semi-final was no different.
In four Northern Football League division 3 matches between the two sides in the last two years, the biggest margin has been three points.
Their elimination semi-final went down to the wire, with both teams struggling to score in wet, windy and cold conditions at Whittlesea.
It was the Pingers who got over the line, winning 7.10 (52)-6.10 (46) and keeping their hopes of a third straight grand final alive.
Pingers coach Greg Whitcroft said it was a hard-fought contest with neither side giving an inch.
“It was a really tight game and it always is when we play them,” he said.
“St Mary’s started well and their skipper, Dillon Ronalds, got away from us. We put Lucas Aquilina on him and he quelled him and cut him out of the game.
“We just locked down and played well, making it hard for them to score.”
The Pingers led by six points at the main break and eight at three-quarter time, with Whitcroft thinking they were comfortably in control.
He admits they had their chances to put the game away late in the third quarter, but missed shots on goals. He said they could have been 18 to 20 points up at the last break.
St Mary’s, though, wasn’t ready to let its season finish without a fight and threw everything at the Pingers.
That led to a few nervous moments for Whitcroft and his players.
“They put numbers behind the ball and got it going forward,” he said.
“They didn’t finish off and missed targets inside 50. They couldn’t convert shots on goal. They missed one from 20 metres out in front of goal with five minutes remaining. That would have given them the win.
“They were coming over the top us.”
With neither side scoring a goal in the final quarter, the Pingers managed to hold on for the win.
Whitcroft said Aquilina, Michael Robertson, Lewis Harry, Jake Perry and Chris Chilcott, who kicked four of the Pingers seven goals, were the best in the win.
The win sets up a Pingers preliminary final match-up with South Morang. The Lions were soundly beaten by Banyule on Saturday in the other semi-final.
The Lions have had the wood on the Pingers this season, winning both their matches during the regular season.
