Facey, in his first game this season, converted a trio of opportunities as the Falcons beat fellow finals contender Ballarat Red 4-3 at a muddy Trekardo Park, Redan.

The Reds claimed an early 2-nil lead, before a late goal from Facey left the Falcons one goal down going into the second half.

They levelled the scores twice before Facey again hit the back of the net with about 10 minutes remaining to make certain of the three points.

Coach Mick Clark said it was a superb performance from Facey – a former Ballarat Red Devils under-18s representative – who formed a potent attacking combination with skipper Kane Clark.

“Max is just a freak,” he said.

“He hasn’t played for a while, but he’s come back and kicked three.

“It was 2-all, then 3-2 and then Kane kicked one from about 50 metres out into the back of the net.”

It was an important win for the Falcons, who were at risk of slipping out of finals contention.

The win has seen them leapfrog the Reds into fifth place on the table going into the bye at the weekend.

“If we didn’t win we were out of business,” Clark said.

“We’re still a couple of points away, but we get three points for the bye and we’ve just got to keep winning. It’s going to be hard, but we’re an outside chance.”

Clark said midfielders Lachie and Ben Rowan again impressed, while Eli Macchia made an impact in his first game for the season.