Eddy answers the call as Foster snatch thriller

OPPORTUNITIES present themselves in many and varied ways across a footy season.

Sometimes you miss them and other times you grab them with both hands.

On Saturday, June 13, one such opportunity presented itself at Yinnar and Foster grabbed it, the visitors snatching a one-point win that kept them undefeated for the season.

Foster started fast, kicking the first couple of goals, but trailed Yinnar for most of the day.

At the last change their goose looked cooked, with Yinnar leading by as good as three goals and their young legs covering the ground better than Foster’s.

That it was a low-scoring, brutal contest made last-quarter heroics look unlikely.
Enter Brett Eddy.

He had already kicked six of his side’s nine goals when, with the clock past the 24-minute mark and his side trailing by five points, he lined up a set shot from as good as 50 metres.

He had already done enough, but when opportunity knocks some people just have to answer.

Eddy kicked his sixth and put his side in front by a point, the margin when the siren sounded a moment later to give Foster a memorable 10-6-66 to 9-11-65 win.

Foster skipper Mick Cooke dominated early, taking mark after mark and running the visitors’ attack.

Youngster Harvey MacKay played above his years for Yinnar with Flynn Schill also in everything, while Jack Rathjen just had the measure of Bobby Linton in the ruck.

Leading by a goal at the first break, Foster failed to capitalise on several chances in the second, with both Eddy and Jack Weston missing shots they would normally get in their sleep.

Tige Renwick and Tom Robertson goaled to put Yinnar in front, a position the home side held until the agonising last minute of play.

The lead changed hands through the third term, Eddy again popping up to peg back a 20-point margin to 14 points at the final change.

The last quarter saw Yinnar lead the inside-50 count 21 to 12 yet go goalless, while Foster kicked three ripping goals to pinch the win.

Jack Rathjen bounced through the first from long range before James Morris, a defender, marked and goaled to get his side back within a straight kick.

Then opportunity knocked once more and Eddy answered.

Better players for Foster were Eddy, Cooke, Rhodes and Rathjen, with Weston classy in patches.

Winning coach Jake Best was candid afterwards.

“We stole that game today, they probably should have won,” he said.

“(I was) pleased our group didn’t give up and fought the game out to the very end.”