"We want to get a scalp. We want to get a win over a team that's bigger than us, and today's that day."
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Goulburn Swans coach, Simon Treloar, did little to disguise his ecstasy following the team's razor-thin one-point win over the Woden Blues yesterday.
The goal from the outset of the match was clear. The Swans wanted to make a statement, and a home game at Goodhew Park set the stage perfectly.
After a fast start, in which Goulburn piled on three unanswered goals in the first quarter, Woden fought back.
The margin incrementally narrowed until, by the start of the fourth, it was 5.8.38 to 5.4.34 in the home side's favour.
Soon after the final term began, Woden kicked two goals to take an eight-point lead. At this point, the Swans players began dropping their heads and the momentum had clearly swung in favour of the Blues.
That was, until Goulburn captain Rory Heffernan took a mark inside the forward 50. He slotted a crucial goal, and suddenly the Swans began to lift.
"That was a good captain's goal," Treloar said.
"We knew it wasn't done and that we could get the win, but there was still work to be done."
Heffernan's goal got the team to within two points of Woden's score, and, more importantly, revitalised their spirit.
Three more behinds to the Blues stretched their lead to five points, but the Swans responded with another goal to take a one-point lead.
A further behind to both sides kept Goulburn ahead, but as the final seconds ticked down on the clock, Woden got the ball into its forward 50.
The Swans defended magnificently despite the intense pressure, repeatedly forcing ball-ups and refusing to let the Blues' forwards get a clean possession.
"When it hit the ground, we dived on it and wanted the ball more in defence," Treloar said.
"It was a really good, hard-fought effort."
When the siren finally sounded, Treloar and his teammates celebrated their 7.10.52 to 7.9.51 win wildly. Their last-ditch defensive work had paid off, and they claimed a desperately-needed win over a team significantly higher on the ladder.
Following a raucous rendition of the team song, Treloar praised Heffernan's effort under pressure, along with several others who stood up when it counted.
"Dylan Pumpa was good in defence, James Kent ran hard all day, Clay Woodberry ran hard off the back flank, Hamish Copland ran hard off the back flank as well, Andy Munroe played really well at fullback, and Sam Buchanan kicked some really good goals," he said.
"It was a lot of the boys' first win, and we're only a new team so they're playing out of their skin at the moment for how fresh we are as a team."
The victory over Woden lifts Goulburn to eighth on the ladder ahead of next weekend's clash against the 11th-placed Ainslie Tricolours. The match will be played at Alan Ray Oval in Canberra from noon on Saturday, June 5.
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