A goal five minutes from time from Scottish left-back Darren Bailey earned Monaro Panthers their first Grand Final success in 23 years as they stunned the League Champions Canberra Croatia with a 2-1 win at Deakin Stadium.
Bailey was on hand in the 85th minute to force the ball over the line after central defender David Jenkins had beaten Croatia goalkeeper Sam Brown to an inch-perfect free-kick from Gabe Cole, sparking ecstatic celebrations amongst those in green and black and ending their long, long wait for success.
It was a Grand Final in the grand tradition. Two heavyweight teams going toe-to-toe with no backward step, making for an absorbing and enthralling encounter that could easily have gone either way.
Panthers shot-stopper Jordan Thurtell was in top form once more and, even when he was beaten late on by a Daniel Barac effort, to which he got a hand, defender Kyle Senior was on hand to stretch out a long leg and somehow divert the ball to safety when a goal appeared the more likely outcome.
The League Champions did have chances, but so did their opponents, and it was Monaro who managed to break the deadlock six minutes before the half-time.
Sebastian Woods made it, his magnificent cross-field pass finding Zac McLaren in space inside the Croatia area. Just like he did seven-days previously in the Preliminary Final, McLaren sat his marker down on the turf and unleashed a fearsome right-foot effort that scorched past Brown into the corner.
Canberra Croatia are League Champions for a reason, and playing in their 31st Grand Final, they came out of the changing rooms in the second half with all guns blazing and levelled the match within ten minutes of the resumption.
Nik Taneski was free inside the box when he latched onto a ball across the face of the Panthers penalty area, a rash lunge from Bailey upending the Croatia striker and leading to one of the more obvious penalty decisions of the season. Stephen Domenici rammed his penalty straight down the middle.
The match was heading inexorably towards an extra half-an-hour until the telling moment five minutes from the final whistle. Cole supplied the delivery, as he did in the Australia Cup Qualifying Final, and Bailey was on hand to squeeze home what might well be the scruffiest, yet important goal of his career.
MATCH STATISTICS
Canberra Croatia 1 (Domenici 55’ (p)) Monaro Panthers 2 (McLaren 39’, Bailey 85’)
LINE-UPS
CANBERRA CROATIA: 1. SAM BROWN, 2. Marco GAYER (15. David SESELJA 18’), 4. Matt GRBESA, 6. Ryan KEIR, 9. Nikola TANESKI, 10. Matej BUSEK, 12. Hristjan TANOSKI, 13. Cassidy TANDDO (11. Jordan LAMB 90’), 14. Daniel SUBASIC, 21. Stephen DOMENICI (7. Jason UGRINIC 78’), 22. Daniel BARAC
MONARO PANTHERS: 1. Jordan THURTELL, 3. David JENKINS, 5. Darren BAILEY, 6. Gabe COLE, 9. Andre CARLE, 10. Amilio KISTA (7. Nikos KALFAS 58’), 12. Sebastian WOODS, 16. Kyle SENIOR, 23. Michael JOHN, 91. Zac MCLAREN (2. Adam DE FRANCESCHI 85’) 99. Josh CALABRIA
YELLOW CARDS
CANBERRA CROATIA: 21. Stephen DOMENICI 66’, C: Andy RAKIC 66’, 4. Matt GRBESA 76’, 9. Nikola TANESKI 90+2’, 11. Jordan LAMB 90+4’
MONARO PANTHERS: 5. Darren BAILEY 55’, 16. Kyle SENIOR 72’, 9. Andre CARLE 76’, 2. Adam DE FRANCESCHI 90+1’
RED CARDS
CANBERRA CROATIA: C: Andy RAKIC 90+6’, 21. Stephen DOMENICI 90+6’