There was no shortage of emotion when Apollo travelled to MGA Park to face Gambier Centrals in the 13th round of the 2022 Steeline Bendigo Bank Limestone Coast Football Association senior men’s season.

In their last meeting before finals, the foes from last year’s decider faced off and did not back down during an action-packed 90 minutes which contained many goals and cards.

The blue and white have built a reputation for starting fast and did so once again in the anticipated match-up between second and third on the ladder.

James Stephenson’s team showed plenty of hunger in the opening period to force the Lions away from their successful game style.

The visitors were soon rewarded for their gutsy start by scoring the opening goal of the game, but Centrals’ class remained and they responded immediately.

With the battle for possession between the likes of Christian Fleetwood and Jack Donehue on for young and old, an intense arm wrestle looked set to be the order of the day.

But Apollo launched an assault before half-time and it paid dividends.

Two goals were the result and the blitz put the blue and white with a dominant 3-1 lead as the teams collected their thoughts during the break.

Despite a disappointing first half, the Lions were not tamed just yet and they tried their best to find an avenue back into the game when play resumed.

Across the first 15 minutes of the second half, the ball was mainly found in Centrals’ attacking third with many plays setup by Fleetwood, Jake Blackwell, Henry and Sam Shoemark.

Even though the Lions were keeping themselves interested, Apollo’s defensive line led by Adam Walker and Robert Nagy stood tall and repelled the attacks.

This allowed the visitors to create a few runs of their own and a classy finish from Shar Nay put Apollo on the edge of glory with a 4-1 lead and the best part of half an hour left on the clock.

However, the reigning premiers can never be discounted and they made their move with a set piece from a corner.

The cross flew over the pack and found Jake Blackwell in the right-hand corner, who headered the ball between the keeper and the near post.

Unfortunately, the celebrations were short lived after a fight broke out under the crossbar.

The end result of the chaos after many heated arguments were red cards given to Apollo keeper Jesse Widdison and Centrals’ leader Cam Saint.

With goal scorer Shar Nay now forced to don the gloves, the Lions sensed an opportunity to get back into the game and went on the hunt.

Moments after the confrontation, Sam Shoemark was presented with the perfect scoring opportunity being one on one with the inexperienced keeper, but he misjudged the chip shot.

Since being subbed on, youngster Richard Kinyabugma brought plenty of energy and appeared an ever-present threat.

Kinyabugma found some space on the right-hand wing and made a beeline for the goals.

After outrunning defender Hayden Cutting the youngster took a shot while sliding down to his left knee.

It went straight into the back of the net and suddenly the home crowd believed with only one goal the difference.

However, Apollo had been the better side all day and a classy running goal from Espoir Shondo sealed the 5-3 win.

Stephenson said it was a mighty collective effort to get the chocolates.

“I could not be more proud of my boys,” he said.

“They played really well with no passengers and with a bit of flair and excitement.

“It was a real test and not only did we keep our nerve defensively, but we were able to finish the game.

“It gives us confidence that we can beat anybody coming into finals.”

There was also a lot on the line at Malseed Park where Naracoorte and Blue Lake met in a clash which would have huge ramifications on the fate of the all-important fourth spot on the ladder.

Despite being undermanned, the visiting Naracoorte side was able to overcome the issues and make an early statement in the big game.

Captain Andrew Munro was joined by Jamshid Karimi and Cedar Sopha to create quick ball movement which caught the Rangers off guard.

These fast plays created the perfect opportunity for Charles Kelly to find the back of the net and send Naracoorte into the lead.

But the lead on the scoreboard was always under threat as Gay Lay and Shar Say combined well to generate some speed for Blue Lake.

But to the disappointment of the home crowd, the equaliser proved inevitable for the Rangers.

International was expected to dominate its game against Millicent and did so in cruise control.

The black and blue had no issues covering some sickness and injury concerns with Matthew Bueti doing what he does best striking six times.

Sam Bueti and Tyler Michielan were also in the action claiming individual hat-tricks to complete the 13-0 triumph.