Lake Albert come from behind to score 2-1 extra time win over Hanwood in Gardiner Shield grand final

In a drama-charged reserve grade grand final at Equex Centre, Ayton goaled from a corner kick in the 114^th minute to give Lake Albert a 2-1 extra-time win over Hanwood.

The Ayton goal sealed a brilliant performance from Lake Albert, who went 1-0 down in just the third minute and played a man down for the second half and most of the extra-time period.

Emotions threatened to spill over throughout the final and did after the final whistle with the two teams needing to be separated by security, with a Hanwood official red carded and another player yellow-carded after play had been completed.

Hanwood led for the majority of the contest after Christian Codemo made the most of an early on-on-one opportunity with the keeper.

Lake Albert's task was made much more difficult when Josh Everingham was red-carded for his second indiscretion four minutes into the second half.

Just as the title looked within Hanwood's reach, Adrian Merrigan landed a controversial equaliser with just four minutes remaining.

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It was then Ayton who stepped up and delivered the match-winner midway through the second period of extra-time.

Ayton played down his heroics from the corner.

"It was just one of those things, putting it in the spot and I got lucky," Ayton said.

"I'll say I meant it all tonight and tomorrow."

Ayton said he could not have been prouder of the reserve grade group after being forced to do it the hard way.

"I'm just proud of the boys," he said.

"We put in a big effort this year to get where we were. To goal a down, and then a man down, and to come back like we did, extra time, it shows what the club's made on. Just that grit and grind.

"We've got quality players across the club but it's that grit and determination as well.

"We might have missed out by a little bit on first grade getting in but if you watched our third grade boys last night, they lost in a penalty shootout but it was a game you don't mind losing, it was just a ripping game to watch and I'd like to think that game was the same."

After playing a man down for more than an hour, Ayton praised his team's work rate. He conceded it was a battle, mentally, to lift from that but he wasn't surprised by his team's response.

"It was but the crowd just lifts you. Our boys, we might have been one down but for us, it just means you work harder and there's not a single player out there who didn't do their job," he said.

Liam Bryder was named player of the match for a strong game at the back, while Fawaz Baqi and Merrigan were two other strong performers for Lake Albert.

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