Football
19 August, 2025
Lakers defeat Natimuk in final-round thriller
Taylors Lake’s men’s seniors football side have finished their season on a high, defeating Natimuk United in a thrilling contest on Saturday at Natimuk Showgrounds.
Two crucial behinds in the dying minutes got the Lakers over the edge as they kicked 10.14 (74) to Natimuk’s 10.13 (73).
An evenly-fought first quarter saw the Rams attain a 17-15 lead by the first break.
The Lakers then assumed control of the game in the second, getting the better of Natimuk at the contests as they established a 44-26 half-time lead.
The Rams quickly responded early in the third quarter, kicking the first two goals of the half courtesy of Dylan Newell and Kaiden Sudholz.
But the Lakers demonstrated their resolve, kicking three goals of their own in the quarter as they maintained the lead, up 63-54 at the final break.
The Lakers started the fourth well through consistent forward pushes and finally capitalised through a Patrick Lindsey goal.
However, Natimuk made a late-game push, kicking two goals before Bailey Brennan kicked another to give the Rams a 73-72 lead with about five minutes to play.
The sides exchanged upfield pushes in the final minutes, with the Lakers managing to get some attempts off, tying the game and then taking he one-point lead.
A crucial mark from Bray Cullinan up forward in the final moments sealed the nail-biting victory for the Lakers.
With strong performances across the board, Billy Finnigan and Riley Hall were two of the standouts for the victorious side, while Kaiden Sudholz and Adam Coutts were two of Natimuk’s best.
Logan Millar led all scorers with three goals for Taylors Lake, while William Taylor, Jack Bellinger and Samuel Vella each kicked two majors for Natimuk.
Lee Marshall, coach of Taylors Lake, says it was an excellent win for the young side to pull off.
"Obviously, last week was amazing to have a big win like we did, but then it's these little wins that mean so much more for the group, and galvanises the young group," Marshall said.
"It's a bittersweet, if anything, that it's at the end of the year, not the start of the year, because that's sort of something you can build a bit of momentum from."
Asked about the tense finish to the game, Marshall believes games like that are what football is all about.
"We knew they (Natimuk) were going to come there; they are a young side and they're a quality side too," Marshall said.
"So if they got any momentum, they were always going to come at us.
"Coming into the last quarter, we didn't have that much of a buffer to defend, so we just had to play to play our brand.
"It all happens in a bit of a blur, almost, because you're worried about trying to stem their momentum and stem their goals coming in, but trying to win the game at the same time.
"I talked to the boys after the game, "that's why you play footy, for moments like that, to enjoy that." I'm sure it was disappointing for Natimuk but perhaps they walk away from the game, look at it and say, "what a great game of football it was to be a part of."
Taylors Lake’s victory sees them finish eighth on the ladder, just behind Natimuk United.