Having developed a healthy rivalry, the two sides entered the decider having split the regular season meetings to each claim one win, but it was the Hawks that prevailed when it mattered, dominating the grand final to claim a stunning six-wicket win and capture a second straight title.
Winning the toss and electing to bat, Cobram-Katamatite got off to a solid start through openers Giordan Lukies and Bodey Webb, with the pair adding 32 runs for the first wicket before Lukies was dismissed for 10 off the bowling of Kohen Haddrell.
New batter Riley Thompson’s stay at the crease was brief, though, as Nate Leith (1-21) had him caught too, leaving the home side down 2-37.
Webb and Archie Daniel continued to tick the scoreboard over from there, adding a handy 19 runs to push the team total beyond 50, but the loss of Webb (33) stalled momentum again, as Charlie McCallum (1-19) struck to leave Cobram-Katamatite at 3-56.
A partnership was needed from the Tigers, and it was new batter Eamon Hyde who stood up, adding 36 alongside Daniel, who was eventually dismissed by Crue Lucas (1-38) for 13, reducing the home side to 4-92, before adding another 35 with Rocco Anastasio alongside him, as Cobram-Katamatite crossed the 100-run threshold.
But Anastasio’s (6) dismissal was the first domino to fall in a mini-collapse for the Tigers, as Isaiah Benson (1-28) snared his first, before Haddrell (3-20) found himself on a hat-trick, removing Hyde (43) and Cooper Mynard (0) with consecutive deliveries as the home side tumbled from 4-127 to 7-129 in a matter of balls.
The Tigers would add a further 11 runs to their tally before the allotted overs were up, posting a total of 7-140 from 40 overs, and setting Barooga 141 for victory.
While Cobram-Katamatite would have felt they were in the game early following Daniel’s (1-16) dismissal of Murphy Stephens (5), leaving Barooga at 1-13, they were soon on the back foot, as McCallum and Lucas took hold of the contest.
The pair were in formidable touch, and Cobram could do nothing as the Hawks flew beyond the 50-run mark within 10 overs, scoring at 5.7 per over with the boundaries flowing consistently.
Seventy-one runs would be added to the total with the duo at the crease, taking Barooga’s total to 84 and seemingly in cruise control, before Lukies threatened to wrest momentum back for Cobram-Katamatite.
Just as Haddrell had done for Barooga, Lukies snared wickets with consecutive balls to start the 14th over, bringing an end to McCallum’s innings (23) and removing Benson for a golden duck, as the Hawks slipped to 3-84 and the Tigers sniffed a way back into the contest.
But Lucas remained at the crease, and he proved the real danger, as he continued his powerful batting display alongside new batter Ethan Bovalina, raising the bat to salute a fine 50 in a clutch innings.
Lucas would drag the Hawks beyond 100 before he was dismissed for a superb 64 from 50 deliveries, whacking six fours and a maximum in a man-of-the-match performance, however the job wasn’t done yet, with Barooga now 4-106, still 35 away from victory.
Bovalina and Haddrell were more than up to the task, though, steering Barooga to the promised land without further loss, finishing unbeaten on 23 and 20, respectively, as the Hawks defied a fourth-placed finish to claim a momentous second-straight flag.
There was no surprise that Lucas found himself with two medals around his neck after his brilliance with the bat, named player of the match as the only player from either side to reach 50, with his dig going a long way to ensuring Barooga was able to chase down the required runs in less than 20 overs.
