Sport
26 May, 2026
Demons, Eagles match ends in thriller
Jackson Taurau led the Eagles over the finish line in what was an absolutely thrilling football match between Horsham and Warrack on Saturday.
Taurau, a new recruit to the side this season, booted all of his goals in the last quarter as the Eagles earned the four points, 8.12 (60) to 9.5 (59).
The stage was already set for a blockbuster with the inclusion of former AFL star Dyson Heppell in the Demons' line-up, but even the former Bombers captain couldn't swing the result in favour of Horsham.
The Demons got off to a better start, albeit narrowly, and led by four points at the end of the first quarter.
They grew that leading heading into the big break, up 4.3 (27) to 2.6 (18).
The Eagles had their work cut out for them in the last quarter if they wanted the win, needing to make up a 16-point deficit.
But they did just that, with Taurau finding the big sticks three times, as the Eagles grew their final score by 4.5 and the Horsham side added a couple of goals.
Eagles coach Kyle George told Wimmera Mallee News it was way too close for comfort.
With the difference being the final quarter, George said the side leaned into their game plan, stopped panicking and did the things they knew worked for them.
"My message heading into the final quarter was really just to settle down, look to put our efforts in a different area and enjoy the challenge," George said.
His side, he said, needed to be first to the footy: something they hadn't been consistently doing earlier on in the match.
"The umpires were consistent all day in rewarding first to the footy and we were definitely second," George said.
"We needed to go back to basics, chaos footy, moving it forward and opening up our forward line.
"We tried a few things (including moving Taurau in the forward line) and it worked for us."
The Eagles belted out their song after the win, and the coach said the victory meant so much to the side for a number of reasons, including improvement within the team – something that had come to the attention of supporters.
"We were a bit flat in the first half coming off the bye last week," George said.
"I'm proud of the way we finished the game off.
“We turned it into a grind, and we seem to play better as a team doing this."
At 2-3 now, George said it had been a while since the club had had a couple of early wins on the board.
"It's a good base to start," George said.
"We do have a lot of improvement to do but we have the potential there as well.".
The coach said he was impressed by Ned Grieve's efforts on Saturday, likening him to a "Swiss Army Knife".
"Jacko Taurau went forward and competed," George said.
"Nick Lehman showed his class, and Ben Hanna just doesn't give up."
According to PlayHQ, the Horsham side was best led by Ethan Worthy, Lachlan Hobbs and Rhys Barber.
As alluded to by George, Grieve was best on ground, along with Taurau and Riley Morrow.
Goal scorers included Heppell, Cody Maybery and Rhys Barber, all of whom chipped in with a couple of goals for the Horsham side, while Taurau was the only multiple goal scorer for Warrack.