Patriots and Centaurs went head to head for the Collie Men's Hockey Association premiership.
With both teams in good form, and with full squads, a great contest was expected.
The game began with Centaurs running and creating opportunities. The Patriots' defence of Chris Shannon and Brendan Latham held strong and it was Patriots who scored first through Steven Edwards from a short corner.
With 10 minutes to go in the first half, Centaurs went looking for the equaliser through some good work from Kyle Davies and Jake Pitchers. But when the half-time whistle sounded, Patriots went in 1-0 up.
With the half-time addresses given, it was up to the players to decide if Patriots would hold on or Centaurs would mount a comeback.
It was Patriots' Chris Michalak that controlled the game, slowing it down with every passing minute bringing his side closer to victory. But Gareth Shepherdson was a workhorse up front for Centaurs and, with Greg Tomasini feeding passes through, it seemed like Centaurs might get one back.
Patriots rallied and had some chances of their own, through Jaydon Ellery off the back of Ben Forrest in midfield, but Adam Johnson kept the score at 1-0. With six minutes to go, it looked like Patriots were going to hold on until Gareth Shepherdson found the equaliser.
With that shot of adrenalin, the Centaurs team lifted and Jake Loxton drove his side forward from the back to see Centaurs earn a short corner. With two minutes on the clock, Greg Tomasini managed to slot the short corner to give Centaurs the lead for the first time, with just 90 seconds on the clock.
Patriots mounted a final attack through Chris Michalak, but it was Jake Loxton who kept calm to clear the ball and run out the clock, ensuring an epic Centaurs win in one of the best grand final games in memory.
Jake Loxton was awarded the Mick Aramini Medal for best on ground in the grand final.
Grand final results: Centaurs 2 defeated Patriots 1
Goal scorers - Centaurs: Gareth Shepherdson, Greg Tomasini; Patriots: Steve Edwards;
Best players - Patriots: Chris Michalak, Mark Johnson, Ben Forrest; Centaurs: Lake Loxton, Adam Johnson, Gareth Shepherdson.
