Second versus third on a wet and windy day always promised to be a close one, especially as Brunswick NOBs had only narrowly beaten Glen Eira at Gillon Oval the first time the sides met, and fans were treated to an epic encounter at Packer Reserve in Carnegie on Saturday, with the home side stealing the win by four points inside the final minute.

In a see-sawing contest, it appeared as though we had done enough when we led by a game-high 26 points half-way through the final quarter, but Glen Eira were kicking with a strong breeze and once they broke through for their first major for the term they quickly added three more to make it a one goal game. In a pulsating finish, the home side earned a free kick on the wing and a lucky 50-metre penalty gave their captain a shot from within range, which he duly slotted with 50 seconds remaining to break our hearts.

Kicking with the wind in the first term, we again started slowly as Glen Eira scored the first two goals of the game. It took us 14 minutes to finally kick a major through Dom Sullivan, which sparked a better period leading into the first change, highlighted by Tom Wilson utilising the breeze to dob a goal from outside 50.

The home side showed great intent when their turn came with the wind, but they struggled to convert, scoring 2.7 for the term. Jed Carey was excellent as the loose man in defence, while Chris Ford kicked a ripping goal into the breeze from a long way out as the teams went to the main break with only two points separating them.

A controversial free kick to Glen Eira at the start of the third term gifted them a goal, which was followed by another as they extended their lead kicking into the wind. For much of the quarter we were second to the ball and our ball movement was static as we struggled to take advantage of the breeze. A Nick Burgin goal after 12 minutes was very welcome, then an errant Matthew Brown pass which bounced through three sets of hands and then the big sticks was the lucky break we needed and we finally started to find some run. But would a skinny 13-point three-quarter-time lead be enough as Glen Eira would be coming home with the wind?

Up until the 15-minute mark of the final quarter it seemed as though the answer to that question would be yes, as we played our best footy of the match. We won the contested ball and showed a lot more purpose in our ball movement into the breeze. Dom Sullivan caught fire, with a poster followed by two magnificent goals which meant we had kicked six-in-a-row and taken a 26-point lead. Then the rain returned and the game was turned on its head again, as the home side took over in the centre and our under-fire defence lost their composure at critical moments. In the end it was disappointing to lose, but the team that played out the entire game were the worthy winners.

Our best on the day were Carey, who played in a switch-hitting role at the scoring end over four quarters, and James Moverley who was again a warrior in the ruck. Many other players made important contributions over the course of the day in bursts, including Tom Wilson, Geremie Ganino, Brown, Burgin and Sullivan. Defenders Mick O’Donoghue and Luka Vlassopoulos were game, and first-gamer Resh Nair got better as the game progressed.

We remain second on the ladder and will be looking to get back on the winners’ list against Melbourne High at Gillon Oval on Saturday week in another big game. See you there