Kilmore came from 21 points down midway through the final term to grab an eight-point win over Heidelberg West at Heidelberg Park.
After trailing at final break, the home team appeared to have the game in hand when Jacob Duson kicked the goal to put the margin over three majors.
But Kilmore dominated thereafter to score arguably its best win in the NFL, winning 15.7 (97) to 13.11 (89).
The result came in stark contrast to the Round 2 match at J.J. Clancy Reserve, which the Hawks won emphatically by 70 points.
The win draws Kilmore level with Heidelberg West and Epping on five wins, albeit trailing both those teams by over 30 percentage points.
In a pulsating final term, Ben Cooney booted three of his five for the day, while Lachlan Gough snared two of his three majors to get the Blues over the line.
Both teams were guilty of hitting opponents on the chest in the first stanza – which was dominated by the Hawks.
Kilmore trailed by 13 points at half time, but made its move in the third term to lead by five points at the last break.
A feature of the Blues’ second half was their excellent pressure. It was described as “sensational” by their coach at the three quarter time address.
The pressure applied by Kilmore saw the Hawks struggle to move the ball down the field. As a result, their players tried some adventurous switches from defence and gave away a few goals in the process.
“Turnovers killed us today,” Heidelberg West coach Gary Cutler said. “They ran harder for longer today.”
Harley Mozdzierz starred for Heidelberg West up forward with six majors and could’ve easily kicked more after missing a few set shots.
Justin Bentley ran all day and used the ball well for the Hawks, while ruckman Jarryd Coulson regularly put his team to advantage with his tap work. The Hawks weren’t helped by indiscipline which cost them two yellow cards.
The best for the Blues were harder to find, due to a very even contribution across the board.
Captain Ben Taskmakis showed composure in his ball use upon his return to the side. 17-year-old Calder Cannons-listed player Callum May contributed well, while Adam Milne and playing-assistant Leigh Irons were involved in everything.
Thomas McMillan also finished off well with four goals, while Adam Goudge was a late inclusion and played his first game for 12 months.
“The boys showed a lot of character when challenged in the last quarter,” a proud Kilmore coach Nathan Phillips said. “Our fitness showed out to be able to overpower the Hawks and then hang on for the last few minutes.”
The win was especially satisfying as Kilmore had been a team often unable to fight back in such circumstances in recent years.
Kilmore can potentially move into the top-four with a win in Round 11, depending on other results, with a home game at J.J. Clancy Reserve against Epping.
Heidelberg West travels to Mill Park Lakes Reserve to take on South Morang. The Hawks will need to win to prevent the winner of Kilmore vs Epping replacing them in the top-four.
Final scores: Heidelberg West 13.11 (89) def by Kilmore 15.7 (97)
