Finals time in the 2022 Steeline Bendigo Bank Limestone Coast Football Association Senior Men’s Premiership Cup arrived with a bang on Sunday.

A huge total of 16 goals were scored across the two breathtaking finals played last weekend where International and Gambier Centrals fought for a grand final ticket and Apollo and Naracoorte battled to stay alive.

Having been the pacesetters all year, the next installment of the Inter v Lions rivalry promised a lot with much more than bragging rights on the line.

After losing the ladder lead late in the home and away season, last year’s premiers were determined to make a statement in the qualifying semi-final for the second straight time.

But the home side matched the intensity during a fearsome start to the action.

Centrals pressed hard and earnt a couple of penalties, but could not put them away.

With Christian Fleetwood fighting hard in the centre eventually the Lions were able to force the black and blue into a mistake.

A mix-up in defence allowed Sam Shoemark to stroll through and open the scoring at the 20-minute mark.

Although the strike was an ominous sign of what was to come, Inter fired in response.

Sam Bueti was a danger for the Centrals’ defence and forced opposing keeper Steven Hughes into a mistake which gave away a penalty.

With prolific scorer Matthew Bueti lining up at goal, many expected he would nail it into the back of the net.

However, the star striker made an uncharacteristic error with a mistimed kick and he could only watch in disbelief as the ball rolled unto Hughes’ gloves.

Despite letting the Lions off the hook, International continued to attack and this time Sam Bueti finished the job on his own and levelled the scoreboard.

But the joy for the home crowd was short lived as Lewis March made Inter pay when two defenders collided.

This meant International headed into half time 2-1 down with work to do when play resumed.

Inter came out all guns blazing after the break with an attacking passage of play which threatened to seal the fate of the grand final ticket.

At the 50th minute Matthew Bueti was given a chance of redemption and took it with open arms.

Then only minutes later his brother arrived on the scene and showed great composure finishing a well-passed through ball with his left boot from just outside the box.

Suddenly International was up and with all the crowd and momentum behind it, the Lions had to dig deep and they did just that.

It took something special from Cam Saint to bring Centrals back to life as he made a dash for the goals.

While the shot at goal could not sneak between the legs of Inter keeper Ka Nay Di Baw, this did not stop Saint, who kept charging and squirted the ball over the goal line after winning a four-player dash for the ball.

The opportunistic strike not only levelled the scores, but sucked away International’s momentum and allowed Centrals to charge home.

Shoemark put the finishing decorations on the win scoring two late ones to record a hat-trick and send the Lions into another grand final in style.

Centrals’ coach Brodey Koop said a strong mindset was required to pull off the dramatic 6-3 win.

“Finals fever took over the squad as from the opening period we proved we were ready to go,” he said.

“The theme was to remain calm and pressure the opposition whilst defending.

“To Inter’s credit they took the lead away from us, but the will and determination came to the front as we gained back our rhythm and tempo to take back control of the game.

“It was a brilliant all round team performance and we look forward to the week off to prepare for our title defence.”

Over at Webb Street Apollo and Naracoorte fought to the death in the elimination final.

The opening half was a tense affair with outsider Naracoorte bringing the fight to the home team.

Both sides threatened to strike at either end and the visitors almost stole the lead when they had two shots at an open goal, but unfortunately they hit the crossbar.

Eventually Apollo’s pressure proved too much as Say Wah made a big play on the southern wing and put the hosts in front at the stroke of half time.

After the low-scoring first half things exploded after the break with Andrew Diment breathing life into Naracoorte by scoring the equaliser.

However, Apollo hit back with two quick strikes and although Naracoorte made it 3-2 with an own goal, the blue and white had the extra legs to bang home two late settlers.

Apollo coach James Stephenson paid credit to his team’s fitness after a tough fixture.

“It was a nice day for soccer and we knew were going to have a tough game,” he said.

“Both teams started well and it was an evenly fought contest.

“(But) Naracoorte tired late which gave us a chance to control the midfield and get our young exciting attackers on the ball once we started scoring.

“I expected my boys to win and they did the job so now we prepare for the next challenge.”