The victorious Tindal Magpies side

THE Tindal Magpies came from behind to win the Katherine Districts Football League B-grade grand final played at the Katherine Showgrounds last month.

The minor premiers trailed for the bulk of the match, but managed to overcome rivals Lajamanu in the final quarter to record a narrow three-point win.

The final score was Tindal 10.4 (64) to Lajamanu 9.7 (61).

The Magpies, who completed the minor rounds on top of the premiership table with 10 wins and two losses, were competing in their first grand final since the league began 12 years ago.

The side didn't start the biggest day in their club's history well, though, and looked flat in the first quarter, allowing Lajamanu to open up a 12-point lead at the first break.

The signs looked even worse when Lajamanu kicked the first two goals of the second quarter to lead by 24 points.

Goals by Mick De Wit and Rod Neander, however, kept the Magpies in the contest and they trailed by 23 points at the main break.

Changes were made to the Tindal line-up for the third quarter, with Justin Borg moving into the ruck, Dave Thomas to centre half-back, Nathaniel Ward to the forward pocket and Craig Barnes to the centre.

The moves had an immediate effect and Tindal was able to edge closer to a tiring Lajamanu side.
At three-quarter time, the margin was just six points, with Lajamanu leading 9.4 (58) to Tindal 8.3 (52).

The final stanza was a low-scoring affair, with Tindal booting two goals while managing to restrict Lajamanu to just three points.

Clever use of the ball allowed the Magpies to control possession in the dying stages and hold on to run out narrow but deserved victors.

Coach Graham Neander was proud of his team's effort and said the players "put in" after half time to look a different side to the one that took the field in the first two quarters.

He also thanked the team's sponsors and supporters for their efforts during the season.