![Segdae Lucardie, pictured in last week's semi final, was among Emmanuel College's best in Wednesday's grand final loss. Picture by Anthony Brady Segdae Lucardie, pictured in last week's semi final, was among Emmanuel College's best in Wednesday's grand final loss. Picture by Anthony Brady](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/156072998/f986e426-2772-4047-9085-d1eaa7df8a20.jpg/r724_0_4024_2683_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Emmanuel College coach Chris McLaren praised his squad's ability to get back into Wednesday's School Sport Victoria premier boys' grand final despite staring at a near 10-goal deficit.
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The football side - made up of students from years 10-12 - fell short of winning back-to-back flags with a 17.4 (106) to 10.8 (68) defeat to Maribyrnong College at Sandringham's Trevor Barker Beach Oval in near perfect conditions.
In a show of resiliency Emmanuel College came back from a 55-point deficit to get within 27 early in the fourth quarter, before their sharpshooting rivals held their nerve to close out the match.
"They are the games which can get away from you, you throw the arms in the air and say it's a bit too hard and end up getting beaten really convincingly," McLaren said. "To the players credit they did a really good job to get it back.
"They ground away and we started to get a bit more ascendancy at stoppages."
Emmanuel College kicked the first of the day via Koroit Saint Connor Byrne, before Maribyrnong, which was runner-up to SEDA in the girls premier grand final earlier in the day, went on a 10-goal kicking spree to lead 63-8 midway through the second quarter.
McLaren said execution by hand and clearances proved costly for his side.
"It really got away from us in the second quarter," McLaren said of the game. "They (Maribyrnong) are a really dangerous offensive team.
"We weren't able to slow them up and we had plenty of opportunity to score but we made too many mistakes... and they punished us when we made them.
"If you're talking goals made from turnover, I reckon we would have given them a high number unfortunately."
Momentum eventually turned back in Emmanuel College's favour, with Byrne turning it on in the closing minutes of the second half, kicking three goals - including two in as many minutes - to cut the margin down to 43, before the side went into the final quarter 29 points down.
GWS Rebel Luamon Lual was judged best on ground for Emmanuel College, while others to impress included Mitch Wollerman as a key position player, along with Sedgae Lucardie in the backline and Byrne dangerous up forward.
"Luamon was outstanding, he defends really well when he needs to and he has great offence," McLaren said. "I though Mitch was excellent, started at centre half back and then we ended up using him more in the ruck and up forward... he's had a really strong campaign.
"Sedgae was really good off half back and a bit on the wing."
The Hampden league premiership coach praised the students for their commitment to their school football which set the tone for a successful year.
"They do a great job the boys, they do commit to it and a lot of them are playing senior footy and Rebels, so it would be really easy for them to not prioritise it and not play.
"To win it last year and runners-up this year, it's a bloody good effort."
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