Peter Moore's shot at goal missed, but Lancaster marshalled his troops for another attack – and this time Moore didn't miss. Less than 10 minutes had passed, but the game had completely changed course.

However Nullawil regained composure and a late goal to Bedggood steadied the ship, with the Maroons only down a single goal at half time.

The majority of the third quarter was played in the Wandella forward line. The Bombers controlled the centre, launching countless attacks. But under the leadership of Brad Ryan, the Nullawil back line stood firm and impenetrable. Eventually they turned this defence into attack, and a clever handball from Bedggood found Scott Baxter in the clear for Nullawil's first goal of the half.

A quick centre clearance from Shaun McKenzie let Wandella hit back.

The Bombers racked up the possessions inside 50, searching for a clear shot at goal.

Moore tried to get a shot off, but was immediately sandwiched by the Nullawil defence, coming at him from both sides. It took a mark in the pocket from Sam Taylor to give the side a clear chance. His kick was touched, but he quickly got the ball back and kicked the major.

The Maroons then worked hard to win the footy and retain possession, with Hayward able to slot through a vital goal. Nullawil’s defenders didn’t stop swatting away the Wandella advance through Mick Bott before Taylor won a free kick after being crunched in a marking contest.

Looking wobbly on his feet, he threaded through the goal anyway.

With hard work, Nullawil grafted its way back into contention, although Ryan’s enterprising efforts were not capitalised on inside the 50-metre arc.

The hard, physical nature of the game continued and Matt Wilkinson came off hurt after a rough tackle. A Wandella team-mate took the free kick and the Bombers were back into attack.

James Gillies took a shot on goal, however the Nullawil defence got a fist to it right on the line, slamming the footy away for a behind to end the third term.

The final quarter opened with a free to Nullawil.

The following kick sat up well for Bronts and he marked to take his shot at goal, narrowly missing for a behind.

Moore won the ball for Wandella in the middle and the Bombers took a shot at goal, the Nullawil defence punched across the line for a point.

A 50-metre penalty was then awarded to Nullawil and got the Maroons out of danger and the game stepped up to a new level of excitement as both sides went hard at the footy through the midfield.

Bronts then won the ball from the boundary and Daniel Watts' kick finding Bedggood in the pocket. Bedggood kicked the goal and there was only one point the difference. The game hit fever pitch.

Wandella cleared out of the centre and found Ryan again in defence.

However Mick Bott won the footy back for his side, and Ben Taylor put it inside 50 to a contest.

The Bombers were desperate in attack, but desperation created an obvious throw and subsequent free kick. However the champions regained the ascendancy on half back, and Jay McDonald marked to kick the much-needed goal.

Nullawil came hard after getting some run out of defence and Smith kicked inside 50 for Bedggood. Bedggood went for the Cyril Rioli-style scissor kick and for a split-second the crowd thought the footy had gone through for a goal. The umpire signalled a behind and it was six points the difference. The crowd started wondering what would happen if extra time was called as the light began to fade.

Both sides fought hard through the midfield for the chance to win their direct place in the grand final, and when Shane Fowler put the ball inside 50 for Wandella there wasn't much time left. Mathiske won the ball out of defence for Nullawil, despite a knee that had looked ready to buckle under him for the past hour, and went for Bronts who found himself in trouble against two opponents.

Wandella regained possession, but pressure from Bronts forced the turnover and Hayward collected. The Maroons moved the ball forward to Bedggood who missed for a point.

The final siren sounded before any further chances could come Nullawil’s way.

Wandella were in the grand final after one of the closest contests of the year

However Wandella coach Will Callow recognised that his side hadn't yet won the flag. The result of next weekend's clash between Nullawil and Murrabit would decide his opponent on the big day, and either of them could yet bring home the title. One thing is for sure - after a great game like that Nullawil’s supporters will be flocking to see their side play again.

RESERVES: Another Nullawil grand final

This game started out well enough for Murrabit. The first quarter was a close one, with the Blues probably winning the midfield contest, but finding it difficult to break through the Nullawil defence. A lone great play and goal from Nullawil's Brendan Crabbe got Nullawil ahead at the first change. However, the second term showed the Maroons finding the pace of the game and taking charge.

Strong marking from Nullawil brought it shots at goal, and an outstanding couple of minutes from Matt Poyner and Dean Brown brought the side control of the match. They kicked two goals between them in the second quarter before a goal to Heath Pollington really put Murrabit on the back foot going into the third.

Murrabit didn't seem to have too much trouble getting the ball inside 50, but it was beating the defenders once there that it struggled with. The Blues had a go at kicking near-impossible goals early in the third, but this only resulted in more points. Nulawil countered these with major scores to James Barker and Jamie Crabbe. Another goal to Pollington and one to Luke Murray rubbed salt into the wounds.

Murrabit did nearly all of the attacking for the rest of the quarter for just one point, while Graeme Morrison chimed in with one more goal to Nullawil before three-quarter-time.

The Murrabit bench was struck by disbelief and couldn't help but smile at the side’s misfortune. After an hour of play, the Blues had racked up 11 misses.

“We should offer prizes for the first goal,” joked Murrabit coach Neil Hopkins.

There would be none on offer as Graeme Morrison took a great mark and kicked the next Nullawil goal from the square before disaster struck.

There was a bad collision in a marking contest between Nullawil's Johnathan Kerr and Murrabit's Tyson Goggin. Both players hit the ground head-first, losing consciousness. Trainers were quick to get on the field and the game was immediately halted. An anxious wait began while they assessed the players.

Goggin stirred first, but was advised to stay down. Kerr was assisted off the field, but Goggin remained down when trainers suspected neck injuries. An ambulance was called and the captains of both sides gave their permission for the game to end. From reports Goggin understood the situation, but was frustrated about having to lie completely still on the cold, wet turf for half an hour. Luckily, he was surrounded by mates to keep him company. Needless to say, the seniors teams had their best warm-up of the season while all this went on. BEST: Murrabit - Daniel Nethercote, Jarred Vehlen, Mitchell Copland, Neil Teasdale, Brent McKnight, Christopher Hunter. Nullawil - Matt Poyner, James Barker, Brendan Crabbe, Cameron Tomlins, Jeremy Vearing.

UNDER 17: Young Blues move through

The Murrabit-Hay clash was a surprisingly good one, with lots of skill and speed shown by both sides throughout.

Murrabit's senior players stood out to keep their side’s nose in front.

It was only to be expected when Murrabit sent out a team boasting several seniors players. However, the efforts of Hay players like Jake Hicks, Jake Harris, Jack O'Donnell and Michael Harrington weren't to be scoffed at. When the fourth quarter started there was little to separate the two teams - at which time Murrabit finally managed to break through Hay's back six for a couple of quick goals and put the result beyond doubt.

On the day it was Murrabit's best six players that defeated an opposition that looked to boast a more even spread of talent.

It's likely these sides will face off again in the grand final and it will be interesting to see if the result can be reversed. If the Murrabit seniors also make the grand final, their under 17 depth might be tested. It will be a very exciting couple of weeks ahead for junior supporters. BEST: Murrabit - Bryce Franzini, Darcy Hetherington, Thomas Hetherington, Christopher Borley, Sam Harvey, Hugh McCaulay. Hay - Gardean Ellis, Mick Harrington, Alexander Schipp, Patrick Jubb, Ned Mabon, Jake Hicks.

UNDER 14: Baby Bombers the team to beat

This was an odd match. The bigger, stronger and more importantly older Wandella players won the day, with Nullawil unable to score at all. However that's not to say their opponents didn't fight valiantly to the end.

After Wandella worked hard to gain a three-goal lead in the first quarter, the second quarter became much more even.

Nullawil took control of the second term with eight forward line entries to two, but couldn't quite find a way to the goals.

The third quarter went much the same way as the first.

Once Wandella got the ball forward it was a hard slog to get it going back the other way. The side added three more goals to their score.

The Bombers were most impressive in the final term.

No-one had yet scored at one end of the ground, with the low sun blinding players as they went for their marks. However, Wandella pulled it off, managing to kick two goals. The crowd then took note when Mitchell Treacy - who'd been dominant for Wandella - was sent off with a yellow card late in the fourth and was immediately replaced by another player. It was another example of the under 14s having different rules to the rest of the league, but it caused no end of confusion. In any case, Wandella will be tough to beat in the grand final. BEST: Wandella - Nicholas Farley, Brady Gillingham, Mitchell Treacy, Phillip Moore, Cooper Condely, Gavin Cathie. Nullawil - Toby Sheahan, Mitchell Barry, Austin Hogan, Thomas Shirley, Alexander Hogan.