Kyneton come-from-behind to knock out Diggers Rest in extra-time thriller

There aren’t enough adjectives to do Kyneton’s stunning comeback and eventual extra-time RDFNL semi-final win over Diggers Rest justice.

The Tigers were 24 points down with just six minutes remaining on Sunday, what happened next will go down in club folklore.

Sparked by young gun Harry Ryan, Kyneton kicked the last four goals of the game to storm home and fellow rising star Angus Nolte had a chance to win it at the death, only to see Justin Tenaglia get a finger on it on the goalline.

The behind levelled the scores and the game went to extra-time.

In a heart-stopping finish, neither team kicked a goal, but the Tigers managed three points to the Burras’ one to claim an extraordinary two-point victory, 12.17 (89) to 13.9 (87).

“Incredible win, one of the best I’m ever been involved in,” Kyneton coach Ethan Foreman said.

“To kick four in a row and then a point, Angus Nolte’s kick was touched on the line, to draw it.

“It was five minutes both ways and we kicked our first two points in the first five.

“We knew they were going to come out hot, they’re such a good side and to have the month of footy they’ve had after being undefeated.

“It was very similar to Wallan (last week), we got our running game going and we knew we were going to run out the game better than them.

“They kicked a couple early in the last to pull away but the young boys battled back and to come back from a deficit like that was unbelievable.”

The result earns Kyneton a crack at Macedon in the preliminary final.

It sends Diggers Rest crashing out in straight sets and after going undefeated for 15 rounds, losing its final three games of the year.

The Burras made a strong start, holding the Tigers goalless in the first quarter, to take a 19-point lead.

However, the Tigers responded in the second with a five-goal burst to narrow the margin to 11 at half-time.

It was just nine points at three-quarter-time and four of the first five goals in the last looked to have won it for Diggers, earning it a 24-point lead.

However, Ryan bagged two goals, while Nolte and Ryan Pretty joined the party to launch the Kyneton comeback.

The Tigers’ first lead of the match came in extra-time when they scored the first behind and two more points proved enough.

At just 19, Ryan finished with six goals in a match-winning performance.

Foreman was in awe of the Calder Cannons graduate.

“Harry Ryan’s performance was one of the best local footy performances I’ve ever seen,” he said.

“He would have taken close to 20 contested mark, kicked six goals, was dropping back behind play and taking marks and clunking them up forward.

“For a 19-year-old kid to play a game like that is crazy.

“Harry is 6’1 or 2 and got a huge leap on him, sits on heads, almost every team you come up against they say ‘who the hell is that kid’.

“For him to walk into our side in Round 6 and have the influence he has, it’s incredible, he’s such a talent and I’d dare say he’ll be on a VFL list next year.”

Hamish Yunghanns, Frankie Ellis, Danny Grmusa, James Gaff and Nolte also impressed.

For Diggers Rest, Ryan Mullen finished with five goals in a standout display, while Hayden Davis, Austin Cicero and Campbell Wearne stood tall.

Kyneton progresses to the preliminary final, where it will meet Macedon – both clubs having won elimination finals the week before.

While the Tigers are coming off a six-day break, they will have a massive home-ground advantage at Kyneton Showgrounds.

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“The prelim is going to be a home game, we talked about that at three-quarter-time, bringing it home for the fans,” Foreman said.

“It was nuts the amount of support (on Sunday), when I was walking into the rooms, there wasn’t a centimetre to spare in there and another 70 or 80 were waiting to get in.

“We knew internally how good we can be when we’re able to play our game.

“We play a team defence which can be hard to get going with a young side but it’s something we pride ourselves on and now that we’ve got our offence going, it’s all clicking at the same time.”

Originally published as Kyneton come-from-behind to knock out Diggers Rest in extra-time thriller