After suffering a disappointing loss in its semi-final a week ago, it was do or die on Saturday afternoon for the Pakenham Eels rugby league club’s men’s second division team as it faced a knockout preliminary final against the Sunshine Cowboys.
With a long journey out to Langama Park in Sunbury, the Eels scored first in the opening minutes of the game, taking an early lead, but a strong Cowboys outfit struck back, and left the Eels shell-shocked, with Sunshine leading 24-4 into half time.
Needing something of a miracle to secure a place in the grand final, Pakenham struck early off the kickoff and proceeded to run in try after try to level the game 24-24 with only 10 minutes remaining. The Eels dug deep and, despite losing a player to the bin for the remainder of the game, ran in another try, with a successful conversion to take out a miraculous comeback and secure the club’s second ever grand final appearance with a 30-24 win.
The Pakenham Eels now face local rivals, the Doveton Steelers in the grand final this Saturday, 7 September at Haines Drive Reserve in Wyndham Vale with a huge local Pakenham contingent expected to make its way out to the game.
