Young Swan Ollie Florent and the Sydney crowd thought he’d kicked the matchwinner against Port Adelaide, as jubilant scenes took over the SCG.
Problem was, it was the Power who hung on to a thrilling two-point win in chaotic post-siren scenes.
Florent’s set shot from 45m looked like it was going to sail through – so much so teammate Callum Mills took off from the goal line to celebrate as Florent was mobbed.
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But the footy dropped millimetres short and it was Port’s Aliir Aliir who got hands to the footy to ensure it was no score and the Power held on for a two-point win.
“You see Cal Mills,” commentator Cameron Ling said.
“He vacates the line doesn’t he? Wow,” Jude Bolton says.
“Watch this here, he’s off. He vacates that line and that’s where Aliir comes to and makes the spoil,” Ling added.
Power coach Ken Hinkley said he was just glad to see the footy wasn’t in Lance Franklin’s hands for the shot on goal after the siren.
“He went a bit early didn’t he (Florent)?” Hinkley said.
“I thought he’d be on his absolute limit.
“We’ve done a lot of preparation for moments. To defend the goal line really well was clearly critical.
“I thought the kick was going to maybe struggle to make the distance.
“I did look quickly and was glad it wasn’t Budwa.”
Fox Footy’s Jordan Lewis praised Port Adelaide’s game sense to get bigger players like Aliir and Charlie Dixon on the goal line in case the footy dropped short.
“If you look back at that play, it was the Port Adelaide players who were in the moment, who knew what was at stake,” he said.
“They probably knew it would fall short or be right on the limit so they had to have their taller players right on the line to affect that play.
“Mills celebrated, Bud (Franklin) got knocked over, (Pete) Ladhams got caught behind.
“We sit here and just can’t believe they’ve done it.
“It’s an extraordinary effort.”
Brad Johnson said he believed Franklin did what he could on the goal line, but it was hard to stop Aliir’s jump.
Frantic final moments as Port prevails! | 01:02
“It was a great effort by Port Adelaide. Halfway through that last quarter they didn’t even look like it!” he said on Fox Footy.
“It looked like a pure hit from Ollie Florent.
“I’m thinking, ‘that’s game, it’s through’.
“The big boys for Port Adelaide got themselves set on the line and were able to keep it out.
“Ollie Florent’s on the ground celebrating with teammates and you’ve got the Power players jumping around in the goalsquare.
“Callum Mills actually had his hands in the air like, ‘it’s going through’.
“It looked well inside though.
“Buddy did what he had to do, taking out the Port player in front of him. But it left Aliir Aliir.”
Even Charlie Dixon, who was standing on the goal line alongside Aliir thought Florent had “flushed it”.
“I was like, ‘ah he’s flushed that’ and it looks like it’s gone straight over our heads and it’s just dropped.” he told 7Sport.
“Bit of mixed emotions there.”
Port star Ollie Wines later described the clash as a “special game of footy”.
“Off the boot, our emotions were down in a hole and then all of a sudden we look and it’s not made the distance and we’ve won the game,” he said.
“It’s a really special win for us.
“I’ve got so much emotion at the moment.”
