Sport
4 September, 2025
Double overtime ends Warriors' season
It took double overtime for the Warriors senior footballers to be knocked out of the finals, losing to Dimboola by 14 points in their elimination final at Davis Park on Sunday.
Just like the two previous times they played, Dimboola got the jump early, kicking four goals to two to lead by 14 points at quarter-time.
The Warriors rallied in the second quarter, kicking six goals to lead by two at half-time.
The lead changed hands in the third quarter numerous times, and the Warriors led by five points at the final break.
The final quarter was close with the Warriors leading late into the quarter, but the scores were level when the final siren sounded, bringing the game into overtime.
In the first period of overtime, Dimboola got out to a 13-point lead, but the Warriors fought back in the second period, with a goal from Paul Summers after the siren, leveling the scores.
In the second overtime, the Roos started to get on top with their fitness proving too good, and they ran away to run out 16.18.114 to 15.10.110 winners.
Cody Driscoll kicked six goals for the Warriors, while James Sullivan kicked three and Paul Summers kicked two.
Josh Fowkes was best-on-ground with his ruck performance, while Owen Summers, Aiden Graveson, Cody Driscoll, Angus Barham, and Paul Summers were named among the best.
Warriors coach James Sullivan said it was a disappointing loss.
“To bow out in the first week of the finals and not advance any further is disappointing,” Sullivan said.
“We had a two-goal lead early in the last quarter, but when the season is on the line, every team throws what they can at it, and Dimboola did that.
“It was a physical and tight game, and both teams were cooked at the end of 120 minutes, and when overtime came, they got the jump on us, and unfortunately, we ran out of juice and couldn’t go on with it.
Despite the result, Sullivan knows they will look at it in the future.
“To play double overtime is a rare occurrence and unfortunately we were on the wrong end of it, but it’s something we will talk about in 10 years' time,” he said.
The Warriors are building something special with James Sullivan and Perry Meka at the head of affairs, and Sullivan knows there’s a lot to take out of the year.
“There are a lot of positives we can take from the year,” Sullivan said.
“We will sit down as a coaching group and have a look at areas we need to improve at and add to our list, and we will go out and make sure we do that.
“The next few weeks, we will take some time and reflect on the year, but the focus will soon be on next year and what we need to do.”
Read More: Stawell