2012: Eaglehawk breaks flag drought in a thriller

And for Eaglehawk, a stirring 31-30 come from behind victory also put paid to a 13-year premiership drought.

The Hawks, who had not won a flag since going back-to-back in 1998-99, went into the match against a fervent Sandhurst as the red-hot favourites, after they had lost just one game during the season and had beaten the Dragons by 17-goals a fortnight earlier in their semi-final encounter.

Their starting line-up comprised four players from the 2010 grand final team, which was beaten by Kangaroo Flat by one goal - Christie Rogers, Lauren Miller (nee Ryan), Carmel Mulcahy and Hannah Gretgrix.

A strong Hawks squad also included fellow 2010 grand final players Amanda O'Neill, who was the A-grade coach in 2012, and Bec Smith.

Among the newcomers from 2010 were midcourter Britt Eastman and a pair of players, whose contributions at key moments would prove ultra-telling in the final result, goal shooter Abby Gilmore, who had switched clubs in 2012 from Sandhurst, and goal keeper Heather Oliver.

Despite their status as overwhelming favourites, Eaglehawk looked anything but premiership contenders early in the contest, as a fast out of the blocks Sandhurst netted nine of the first 10 goals for the match.

Recalling the Dragons' onslaught nearly eight years later, star goaler Rogers described the Hawks' opening quarter as 'terrible'.

"Our first quarter, we certainly didn't play our normal game, but that was a credit to Sandhurst, they came out and were switched on from the first whistle," she said.

"They changed up their defence, they put Chloe Watson back to goal keeper after she had played goal defence in the previous final against us. That no doubt threw us off quite a bit.

"Abby (Gilmore) and Chloe are best friends, and that was a bit difficult being such good friends."

The Hawks did well to recover and score the last five goals of the quarter to reduce the margin to 9-6 at quarter time, before O'Neill swung the changes.

The Hawks coach switched Oliver from goal defence to goal keeper to keep a tighter rein on Sandhurst goaler Jasmine Finnegan, who was pivotal in the Dragons' bright opening with five goals.

O'Neill, who started on the bench due to an Achilles injury, entered the game at wing attack, with Eastman moving to centre and Mulcahy dropping back into wing defence.

The reshuffle worked early on as the Hawks reduced the margin to a goal, but Sandhurst adjusted, with star centre Brianna Dalrymple-Monro and skipper Ebony Evans in wing attack displaying a precise passing game.

Despite requiring treatment for a suspected dislocated finger during the quarter, Lucy Spalding played on and, along with Finnigan, scored five goals for the term as the Dragons increased their lead to seven goals at half time.

A game of momentum swings continued in the third, when - with the scores at 21-15 - Sandhurst piled on five unanswered goals, to establish a seemingly match-winning 11-goal break.

But not to be outdone, the Hawks finished with a flurry of four goals to level the quarter at seven goals apiece.

While Eaglehawk was within striking distance of Sandhurst at three-quarter time, down by seven goals, Rogers conceded it felt more like a 10-goal deficit.

"We hadn't been close all game, it felt like we were always catching up and always such a long way behind," she said.

"At three-quarter time we just said we have nothing lose. I remember Abby, who was really young, maybe 18, just saying 'we've got this girls'.

"She was just so confident and relaxed about it and I was like, 'oh wow'. Seeing someone with that attitude really hit me and gave us the drive to just go out and play our own game.

"I think finally things clicked and a few things went our way. When you get that momentum and the other team feels it, they start to feel the pressure."

Rediscovering their renowned defensive intensity and with young gun Gilmore - who finished third in the season's Betty Thompson Medal count - coming to the fore, the Hawks were able to lift themselves for one last dramatic effort.

Having tied the scores at 30-apiece, it was left to Gilmore - in the words of Travis King, the Bendigo Advertiser reporter covering the game - to 'break the hearts of her former team-mates' by scoring the match-winning goal with just a few seconds to play.

The sealer was one of a remarkable 10 goals scored in the final term by the goal shooter, equalling her tally from the previous three quarters.

Eaglehawk scored eight of the last 10 goals for the contest.

Even now, Rogers admits to disbelief when recalling the one-goal win.

"I didn't feel like we were in it at any stage, really, and to end up in front by a goal was a really strange feeling," she said.

"It took a long time to sink in.

"Don't get me wrong it was awesome, but it was a bit strange and there was this bit of disbelief."

Rogers said there was no doubting the defensive efforts of Oliver, who was duly awarded the best on court medal and would go on to win another later in the decade with Sandhurst in 2019, and Lauren Miller had prevented the Hawks from disaster.

While special praise was reserved for the player, who put the Hawks in front for good.

"Abby just shot amazingly in the last quarter and you would have to say she was so cool under pressure," she said.

"She always had a tendency to finish off games well, her last quarters were amazing.

"To do it a grand final and win it was pretty special."

Unbeknown to her team-mates at the time, Rogers was 12-weeks pregnant on game day, while midcourter Gretgrix was 10-weeks pregnant.

Playing-coach O'Neill hailed the win as easily one of the best she had been associated with.

"I'm glad it went our way in the end, I remember thinking during the game when things were not going so well that it was going to be 2010 all over again," she said.

"But I don't think the (2010) loss necessarily had much to impact on this game.

"I certainly felt the pressure during the game, we were down by a lot, so in the end we really had nothing to lose.

"2010 was hard to take, but we had a different team and a lot of different players."

Perhaps the coach's greatest recollection of the game was the camaraderie within the playing group.

"We had a really great bunch of girls that year, which made it easy to coach, and easy to play with them," O'Neill said.

"We were lucky to pick up Heather Oliver, she grew up with Lauren Ryan back up in Wangaratta and Loz was able to get Ollie to have a go at netball, because basketball was obviously her passion and sport," O'Neill said.

"(In) 2012, we had a very strong midcourt. I was probably getting on in age, so I was lucky to have a few young ones in there to have my turn off the court and have my time on the sidelines to be abe to coach that little bit better.

"We also had a lot of versatility, Ollie, who has obviously been playing all over the court in the last few years for Sandhurst, was a goaler and defender.

"Christie herself could play goals and defence and we had midcourters, who could play defence and goals, so we were pretty lucky with our versatility."

O'Neill, who continued to coach for a few years, said the only regret was that the 2012 line-up did not get the chance to play together for longer.

The Hawks have not returned to the big dance since and would not play finals again until 2017.

"We pretty much lost the whole side, everyone went their separate ways. Some moved interstate or committed to other sports," O'Neill said.

"Unfortunately, we didn't have the players and versatility to continue on the good form of the previous years, but we did have a lot of girls come up (to A-grade) who were eager to learn and keen to improve their skills.

"Even though we didn't make finals for a while, there was a huge improvement in those girls' games."

Eaglehawk: Lauren Ryan (GD), Heather Oliver (GD), Hannah Gretgrix (WD), Carmel Mulcahy (C), Britt Eastman (WA), Christie Rogers (GA), Abby Gilmore (GS), Amanda O'Neill, Bec Smith, Jarileey Higgs, Amy Jackman.

Sandhurst: Chloe Watson (GK), Ash Cole (GD), Stephanie Strachan (WD), Brianna Dalrymple-Monro (C), Ebony Evans (WA), Lucy Spalding (GA), Jasmine Finnigan (GS), Gabby Greene, Sarah Hill, Danni Hoiles.

ALSO FROM 2012:

Karly Bingham nets Betty Thompson Medal

READ MORE:

Golden Square storms home to win 2011 flag

Roos start the decade the same way they ended the 2000s

Have you signed up to the Bendigo Advertiser's daily newsletter and breaking news emails? You can register below and make sure you are up to date with everything that's happening in central Victoria.