The standalone Saturday night clash to celebrate NAIDOC Week was well-hyped and certainly delivered on expectations, with the long-time rivals producing a high-scoring and thrilling spectacle for the big crowd

The contest was marked by a pair of stunning comebacks, first from Strathdale, which recovered from a 3-1 deficit early in the second half to draw 4-3 ahead following a goal in the 75th minute from Daniel Purdy.

Not to be outdone, the resilient Hawks responded to level the scores at 4-4 through a 78th-minute goal to Jesse Matthews.

An own goal in the 87th minute put Eaglehawk in front before another from Alex Caldow in the 91st minute put the seal on an exciting win.

The Hawks were able to extract a measure of revenge for their 2-1 loss to Strathdale in round two on the Blues' home turf.

Eaglehawk coach Keegan Smyth, who got his side rolling with the game's opening goal in the 16th minute, was pleased to emerge from a tough contest with a valuable three points.

"I think it was one of those games that was better to watch than to be a part of, it was pretty intense at times out there," he said.

"But that's always going to happen with us and Strathdale and it's what we expect, so we were very happy to claim the three points in the end.

"It gives us a little bit of breathing space (at the top), but we certainly won't get carried away, obviously Strathdale still has a game in hand."

An obvious encouraging sign for Smyth was the Hawks' ability to fight their way to victory after being headed in the 75th minute, following the second of two goals for the match from Blues star Purdy.

"I probably wouldn't want to single anyone out, I thought we stuck to our game plan really well," he said.

"Our back four were really solid all night, the midfield three worked really hard and going forward our front three always looked dangerous."

"It's always nice when everyone's on the one page."

The loss was the Blues' first this season in seven games, following five wins and a draw.

On behalf of the Hawks, Smyth said the club felt privileged to support NAIDOC Week and to be part of such a wonderful celebration, which included a smoking ceremony before the division one game.

"It was fantastic. It's always a big occasion for the club and the Eaglehawk community," he said.

"I have been involved in the occasion a couple of times and its always pretty special.

"The atmosphere was fantastic. A lot of the boys said it was one of the best games they have been a part of."

At La Trobe University, Shepparton South overcame a sluggish first-half to score a 5-0 win.

A hard-fought victory against a persistent Eagles moved South into fifth position on the ladder on 14 points, one ahead of Spring Gully United, with the Reds having played one less game.

South coach Rob Harmeston declared it a mixed performance from his side, which will strive for improvement ahead of this weekend's clash against Tatura.

"We didn't play as well as we could have, but getting the three points is always the most important thing," he said.

"It took a long time to get started, that was the issue with us.

"We hit the bar and hit the post a couple of times and just couldn't seem to get going, and then there were a few injuries too, which wasn't great.

"But a win's a win and we ran over the top of them in the end.

"The plan is to keep ourselves in the mix for that top four, which we did, and try and get ourselves some consistency."

Shaun Kane led the way on the scoreboard with three goals, while Joel Aitken chimed in with a double to boost his season tally to 13.

At McEwen Reserve, Tatura moved into second place with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Shepparton United.

Cody Sellwood continued his solid form as the lone goal scorer for the Ibises, with seven of his tally of 10 goals for the season coming in the last three weeks.

Eaglehawk 6 (J. Parker, J. Matthews, A. Caldow, K. Smyth) d Strathdale 4 (D. Purdy 2, K. Goldsworthy, N. Watson)

La Trobe University 0 lt Shepparton South 5 (S. Kane 3, J. Aitken 2)

Shepparton United 0 lt Tatura 1 (C. Sellwood)

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