Kyabram clambers home in a Goulburn Valley League thriller

With that said, it didn’t have to be that way.

Kyabram playing co-coach Kaine Herbert drew first blood on the road, but Rochester quickly quelled that influence through the double act of Wil Hamilton and Mitch Cricelli.

The second term brought about periods of wasteful football from both sides, with neither able to establish a prominent foothold after squandering handfuls of chances, though the Tigers would take a 19-point advantage into the sheds.

Everything started to fall into place for the home side after the break after a goal early in time-on blew the margin out to 30 before the visitors gave a yelp through late goals to Kaleb Williams and Brad Mangan.

Chances continued to come and go for Rochester as the threat of being upended loomed larger by the minute during the final term, with Anthony De Pasquale notching four goals on the night through a huge effort in the final term.

There will inevitably be some soul-searching to do at the Tigers after a five-goal lead evaporated deep into the closing stages, mustering just four behinds in the final half-hour as Kyabram miraculously prevailed 9.13 (67) to 9.11 (65).

The win marks a turning point for Kyabram, which struggled in its home opener and eventually narrowly fell to Mooroopna after a swathe of high-profile departures in the off-season.

It won’t immediately get any easier for the Bombers, however, with the looming threat of Euroa this weekend in a surefire test of the 2023 runner-up’s credentials.

Likewise for Rochester, which will have little time to dwell on heartbreak against a local rival.

The fadeout will need to be addressed — and quickly — lest a lack of energy cost the Tigers late against Shepparton this week at Deakin Reserve following the Bears’ thumping win over co-tenant Shepparton United.