Wyndhamvale will have to make the Western Football League division 2 grand final after being conquered by North Footscray in a bruising semi final encounter on Saturday.
The Devils earned a direct passage through to the decider after in-form star Barnaby Sianos nailed a clutch goal at the 24-minute mark of the final to secure a memorable win.
The Falcons have dropped their past two games against North Footscray and will face West Footscray this weekend for a spot in the grand final.
David Battistella’s side prevailed by three points in a low-scoring struggle, 5.5 (35)-3.14 (32).
“It’s a little bit surreal,” Battistella said. “Making any grand final, I’ve been around long enough to know how hard they are.
“It was probably a game that for most of the day they controlled, and we just hung in there.
“To do it the way we did it, with Barny Sianos kicking a goal in the last minute of the game, it was definitely special.”
Sianos has been best afield in consecutive finals, his three-goal contribution telling in a match where goals were at a premium.
He was moved to the forward line from the midfield late in the contest before sinking the match-winning major.
“We were on the opposite side of the ground, but it had to be a good 50-metre kick in wet conditions, and he nailed it. It probably went over by about a metre,” Battistella said.
“Then we had to hang on for about a minute.
“I think he turned 21 this year, and he’s one of the kids we got down to the club last year. There’s no doubt the boy can play.”
Battistella also lauded the efforts of teenager Lachlan Peterson, who limited Wyndhamvale star Lewis Stanton to one goal – his lowest return in a season in which he has 117 majors to his name.
Oliver Brett, Damon Stephens and Alex Mackinnon were named Wyndhamvale’s best.
The Falcons kicked 1.10 in the first half and Battistella said they could have been “three or four goals up” instead of one point at the main break.
“It was one of those games where we were lucky to hang in for a long period and then there were players who stood up when we were under the pump who kept us in it, and then players who stood up when the game was there to be won who gave us an opportunity,” he said.
The Devils lost Jarrod Johns (rolled ankle) and Daniel Duggan (cork) to injury in the first half but Battistella said the pair would be fit for the grand final at Yarraville Oval on September 13.
