A last-minute goal from Kalkee’s Stuart Hobbs completed a remarkable final quarter comeback for the Kees and broke the hearts of St Michael’s players and fans, who appeared to be in an unassailable position late in the match.

It was a momentum that would carry into the following week. Kalkee, buoyed after escaping the clutches of defeat, came away with the premiership in the grand final replay with a 39-point victory.

Kalkee back-pocket and president at the time, Greg Lawson, said the impact of their incredible comeback made a difference the following week.

“When you look back now, I really think St Michael’s were probably devastated they let that first one slip,” Lawson said.

“We were down by about 26 points at one stage in the last quarter – for us to come back and force a replay, it must have affected them.”

St Michael’s was in the box seat late in the match after a slow start.

Kalkee kicked seven goals to one in the opening term, but were held goalless in the second and third quarters as the Saints gained ascendancy.

St Michael’s took a 14-point lead into the last quarter and looked to have the contest won when it was four goals in front and with less than 10 minutes left to play. But a flurry of quick goals from Kalkee kick-started a miraculous last minute comeback.

The Kees kicked four unanswered goals in a heart-stopping finish to level the scores at 13.14 (92) apiece.

St Michael’s was left to rue inaccuracy, having kicked three goals and seven behinds in the final term, including a Glen Pohlner set shot that hit the post with two minutes remaining on the clock.

St Michael’s ruckman Roger Sodello said the disappointment of conceding such a strong lead still stuck with him.

“I still remember it like it was yesterday actually. It was a really tough one to take,” Sodello said.

“I don’t know if we relaxed or if they just got the momentum, but they kicked a few quick ones and all of a sudden we were looking shaky.

“I distinctly remember the last minute where we just couldn’t get our hands on the ball. They got a clearance and Stuart Hobbs was loose out the back of a stoppage and turned around and slotted it. It wasn’t long after the siren went.

“It was such a deflating moment.”

Lawson said the Hobbs goal was a miraculous effort.

“Stuart couldn’t kick dirt off a shovel, but he kicked the goal from out on the ambulance side on the boundary to put us level,” Lawson said. “He still tells us all about it, too.”

Dealing with only the second drawn grand final in the league’s history, there was confusion in the immediate aftermath of the match as to when the replay would happen.

League officials wanted to avoid a clash with the Wimmera Football League grand final scheduled for the following Saturday.

“I remember we had a meeting with the league officials in the change-rooms after the game,” Lawson said.

“There was a mention of playing the following day – but there was no way we could do that after the match we had played.”

After days of negotiations, the replay was eventually scheduled on the Saturday at Warracknabeal’s Anzac Park.

In the build-up to the replay, the Saints struggled to readjust after the disappointment of having the premiership wrenched from their grasp.

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“We were majorly disappointed,” Sodello said. “We felt like we had it won.

“Trying to regroup and get ready to go for next week was really difficult. It was hard to get our heads into the right place.

“We probably labelled ourselves as the favourites going in, so we thought in the replay we would right our wrongs and finish it off. But it was just too much and we went down pretty comfortably in the end.”

Kalkee became the most successful club in the league’s history, winning their ninth premiership.

But the premiership stands out in a dry period for the club. The Kees had last won the flag six years prior in 1983 and did not win another for 11 years afterward until 2000.

“It was great for guys like Shayne Breuer, Timmy O’Neil, Chris Brain,” Lawson said. 

“They all moved on to finish their careers after but it was good for those guys to get the flag with us that year.”

For St Michael’s, the defeat came in the midst of an incredibly successful period for the club that would be the catalyst for their move into the Wimmera Football League in 1993. 

The Saints had won the flag the year prior in 1988 and the heartbreak of 1989 would be offset by a premiership two years later in 1991.

“It was truly a fantastic era for the club,” Sordello said.