League: Despondent Bulls ponder fate after Lions snatch last-gasp win

Mt Albert's Robinson Godfrey (right) captures the joy as his side celebrates winning the Bartercard Cup yesterday. Phil Walter / Getty Images

Mt Albert Lions 24 Canterbury Bulls 22

How close can you go but not win?

Ask the Canterbury Bulls, who were leading the national final with just seconds to go but came second.

"It's tough to lose any final but to lose like that - we just needed to complete one more set," said Bulls captain Shane Beyers.

They were up 22-20 in the dying stages of the Bartercard Cup grand final, after squandering a 22-16 lead with some silly mistakes and some bad errors.

The Lions showed their class in maintaining composure, lifting their effort late in the game but not pushing too hard.

Captain Steve Buckingham kicked a penalty, then put wing Patrick Ah Van into a hole for his second try.

But then Buckingham, who had entered the game carrying injury, was carted off holding his left knee and with two minutes to go it looked as if they would not get a last throw of the dice.

With three seconds left, halfback Bernard Perenara shuffled to the Bulls' defensive line and held up his pass for second rower Fabian Souter, who had also been in doubt during the week with injury.

Souter scrambled under the tacklers and referee Glen Black checked with his touch judges then handed the game to the defending champs. The Bulls sunk to the turf.

What was the Lions' plan in the last seconds? "Get the ball to Bernard," said coach Brian McClennan. "He was outstanding for us all day."

True. With Buckingham clearly not at his best, Perenara stepped up. He had some problems with discipline at times but in the finals series played outstandingly and in the semis showed good sportsmanship; last weekend, he dropped out of play to roll an injured opponent on his side and waited for the Counties trainer to attend to the player before following the ball.

Lions prop Phil Shead, the biggest man on the field yesterday, won the Ken Stirling award for player of the final. But it must have been close because there were several contenders, not all from Mt Albert.

Bulls' half Jimmy O'Brien has come on well this season and played a great steering game. Beyers was his usual workaholic self. Their bench man Seni Pati made lots of impact and was rewarded with a try.

For Mt Albert, Ah Van showed great ball skills and football nous to position himself in the right places and deliver the right passes, and hooker Regan Wigg was solid.

The Bulls were too ill-disciplined in the first half, their mistakes and penalties keeping the Lions in the game. They bombed three tries, two through forward passes and another with a knock-down. At the break Canterbury had made nearly 50 tackles more than Mt Albert and were down 10-8.

When the Lions turned to take the 40-knot gale blowing down the ground they looked a good bet to clear away.

Canterbury were first to score when the powerful Pati burst over, then he made a big break to send Alex Timo in to score mid-half. And when O'Brien's kick sent Lucas Tamakaha in untouched just two minutes later, the lead looked too big to cut back.

But as McClennan had said, don't count out the wounded Lion. Centre Paul Fisiahi scored and Buckingham kicked a penalty.

With nine minutes left, the Bulls still held a six-point lead but their backs were to the wall. Buckingham sent Ah Van away but missed the penalty kick and the chance to level 22-all. Then he went off.

Up stepped Perenara and Souter.

"I need a beer after that," McClennan said. He said the Lions had put pressure on themselves with dropped ball.

Said Beyers: "It's hard to believe. All we had to do was hold the ball and get out of our territory. But you can't take it away from them, they played hard."