ULTIMA have defeated Hay by one point in a Golden Rivers grand final that will go down in history for its intensity and drama.
The Roos’ first premiership since 2015, and 13th senior flag in the team’s history, was won 11.10 (76) to 11.9 (75).
Neither side backed down in the back-and-forth battle, but the Roos edged ahead when it mattered most to claim the narrowest of victories.
Both teams traded the lead throughout the game, the margin not surpassing Hay’s 14-point advantage halfway through the third term.
But Ultima’s final quarter showed their fitness and class, running the game out strongly as the sun beamed down on Hay Park.
Ultima coach Kyle Symons said bringing the premiership cup back to Ultima was an awesome feeling.
“This is just unreal,” he said.
“There are so many stories behind the scenes for this – everyone on this team has put in much so much work.
“We played a little bit on the idea that Hay were playing at home, and we were the ones who were coming up here.
“The support that we had here today was just incredible to see, there really was a sea of blue and white out there for us.”
After the Lions flew out of the gates with the first two goals, Ultima were able to wrestle momentum back in their direction before quarter-time to trail by one point.
The Lions bounced back in the second, kicking three of the first four goals, before Ultima regained the upper hand with four consecutive goals to lead by 12 points at half-time.
After kicking a single goal in the second quarter, Hay forward Jack Headon threatened to win the game off his own boot in the third term.
Headon’s three consecutive goals pushed Hay to the game’s highest margin, before late goals to Matt Taverna and Jay Reynolds, who finished with two and three goals respectively.
The Roos were able to get on top of the midfield battle, thanks in part to the man selected best on ground, Tom Bull.
Influential in the centre of the ground providing run and carry, Bull evaded packs and provided a key link to his forwards and kicked a goal.
After he was presented with his medal, Bull said his reward came off the back of a full-team performance.
“We stuck to our system, we knew we wanted to go out there and play fast,” he said.
“I’m born and bred there in Ultima – I’ve played there my pretty much whole life with only a couple of years spent elsewhere.
“To come home and win something like this late in my career, it’s a pretty special moment.”
Ultima’s team game continued to shine through, meticulously finding targets around the game and running into space for each other while doing the hard work.
As both sides began to feel the effects of the game’s intensity, scoring shots were hard to come by at the start of the fourth.
Headon’s fifth goal pushed Hay’s lead out to 12 points, before the stoic Ultima defence stood firm to hold their opponents to just two more points for the rest of the game.
In that time, a goal from Mitch Makepeace brought the margin to four points, but with just 10 minutes remaining, it was Ultima skipper Mitch Seton-Stewart who stood tall.
Seton-Stewart marked just within attacking 50 and cooly slotted a set shot from the arc to give his side a one-point lead.
The Roos’ defence continued to stifle their opposition, dropping a player back as Caillum Brady, Jamie Nicholas and Martyn Cooper defended solidly.
The ruck work of Jye Purtill was integral, often getting the ball forward at all cost.
Numerous times Purtill would land a thumping fist on the ball, battling hard and using his mobility against Hay’s bigger ruckman, James Moran.
Symons said all of Ultima’s midfield unit were huge in hanging onto their late lead and getting the edge over the Lions.
“We set ourselves right from the start of the day to play one on one all over the ground,” he said.
“If no one was pulling the line, we could see who wasn’t pulling the line. That allowed us to change whatever wasn’t working straight away.
“We did our homework over this last week, but we weren’t guaranteed anything – we still had to turn up and do it the right way.”
Hay coach Mick Cattanach said he and his side were gutted following the loss.
“At times it looked like we were starting to get on top, but lapses in concentration and going away from what we know hurt us,” he said.
“In the final moments we were only a decent forward entry away from winning the game and we couldn’t seem to get that done.
“It was a great battle in the middle, they probably got more numbers in there and were that bit cleaner – ultimately they were able to wear us down in there.”
