A cold and windy afternoon at Pimpinio was the setting for one of the most joyous days in Noradjuha-Quantong's history.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Bombers marched through to their first ever Horsham District league grand final, decisively defeating Edenhope-Apsley 11.12 (78) to 6.9 (45).
Supporters filled the club rooms to the brim after the final siren in a special day for the club.
"We're ecstatic. Over the moon," Bombers coach Gareth Hose said.
"That feeling is just unbelievable. You can see by the reaction of the supporters, just how much it means to everyone. It's unreal."
In a fast-paced and fiery opening, the Bombers utilised a howling breeze to take a three goal lead by quarter time.
But perhaps the match-winning quarter was the second term, when the Bombers managed an incredibly valuable three goals against the breeze to maintain a 12 point advantage.
"We didn't think we had a big enough lead with the wind in that first quarter," Hose said.
"So we really set ourselves to have a big second quarter. We knew how crucial it would be."
The Bombers then came out harder at the contest and hungrier for the football after half time, while Edenhope-Apsley were at times guilty of overusing the football by hand.
Cameron Bruce quickly kicked the first of the half for the Bombers, before Jye Walter and Dustin Cross booted two in quick succession to open up a 31 point lead.
In the blink of an eye, Bombers fans could suddenly dare to dream of a drought-breaking grand final berth.
In the quarter's dying minutes, best on ground Nathan Byrne stole the ball at half back and found Matt Walsh on the lead 45 metres out.
Walsh goalled, and the third quarter ended with Noradjuha-Quantong holding an unassailable 42 point lead.
Walsh was a surprise inclusion in the contest, playing his first game since injuring his kidney against Kalkee in round eight. A goalkicker with an illustrious career resume, Walsh proved to be a game-changer, finishing with a game-high three goals.
But for Gareth Hose, the match was won through the middle of the park.
"The midfield battle was a big one that I thought would go a long way to winning the game, and that proved right today," he said.
"Ryan Stacey was unbelievable. Nathan Byrne, Tom Cooper, Dustin Cross, Vaguey (ruckman Jack Vague) ... they were really good in there."
To add to an already euphoric day for Hose and the club, Noradjuha-Quantong players sung a loud happy birthday for their head coach straight after the team song.
"(The win was) the best birthday present I could have asked for," Hose said.
Now after a brutal three weeks of football, the Bombers bandwagon rolls on into a grand final where they will face league powerhouse Harrow-Balmoral.
"Three finals in a row it's pretty taxing, and Harrow-Balmoral will be really fresh and hungry," Hose said.
"We'll just have a light week on the track, keep it short and sharp, and just give it everything we've got next week."
On the opposite end of the spectrum, there was a solemn atmosphere inside the Edenhope-Apsley changerooms after the game.
"Extremely disappointed obviously, we wanted to go that extra week, but Noradj were just too good," Saints coach Chris Oliver said.
"They just wanted it more. That's what it looked like."
Oliver however said there were positives to be taken from another preliminary final appearance.
"Two years ago we were on the verge of merging with another club, things weren't looking that great," he said.
"But since then we've made two preliminary finals, so I couldn't be prouder of the boys to be honest."
While you're with us, you can now receive updates straight to your inbox twice weekly from the Wimmera Mail-Times. To make sure you're up-to-date with all the news from across the Wimmera, sign up below.