Whorouly and Milawa senior footballers played out an instant classic on Saturday with a stunning finish, but it was far from a pretty spectacle.

The Lions managed to limp over the line against the Dees after a straight-up slog, finishing 8.7 (55) to 8.7 (54) at the final siren.

A lot of footy was played between the arcs as clean skills and execution weren’t exactly on full display.

Whorouly led through the first half, but the Demons shot back in the third quarter, with the Lions unable to properly execute going forward.

Tensions were high at the final break, with saw Milawa lead by nine points, setting the stage for a fourth quarter which legitimately could go either way.

It was an arm wrestle, with plenty of chances for each team to win, but ultimately Whorouly fell over the line.

Lions coach Michael Newton said it was a war of attrition for all the wrong reasons.

“At the start we had a bit of control but we didn’t make the most of our opportunities,” he said.

“In the first half, we had a lot of the play but couldn’t really convert that into scoreboard pressure.

“Throughout the game, I thought the defensive pressure and tackle pressure was good, but there were too many errors on our behalf by foot – we gave them four or five of their eight goals just from direct turnovers.

“It’s going to be a hard watch on the review, it was a battle of who could be the least bad, because I don’t think either side played anywhere near their best.”

Newton kicked four goals while Nic Carney across half back and Harvey Dodgshun across the ground were impressive, while the experience of Daniel Bihun and Ricky Petts led the way for the Demons.

Elsewhere, O&KFL matches were somewhat more definitively decided.

North Wangaratta further established themselves as a possible contender after handing Tarrawingee a 40-point loss, 10.16 (76) to 5.6 (36).

The Hawks could’ve put the game to bed in the second quarter, creating seven scoring shots for only two goals, with Tarrawingee still in the hunt at the half.

Corey Smith led the goal kicking for the Hawks, finishing with four, while Taylor O’Brien and David Killen were solid.

For the Bulldogs, Brandon Igri, Danyon Hearne and Cooper Allan turned in commendable performances.

Reigning premiers Bright continued their title defence with a 14.17 (101) to 7.4 (46) win over the Bats at Goorambat.

The Mountain Men limited Goorambat to just two goals through the first half, while kicking six majors themselves.

The damage could’ve been even greater had Bright capitalised on their chances, with 11 behinds on the scoreboard at half-time.

While the Bats worked hard after the break, Bright would not be denied, piling on eight second-half goals to secure the 55-point win.

Tyler Thomason starred with six goals off his boot for the Mountain Men, with Matthew Priest best on for the Bats.

Greta picked up their first win of the season with a resounding 21.11 (137) to 9.11 (65) win over King Valley, set up by a six-goal opening stanza from the Blues.

Harry Moran and Chris O’Connor combined for 14 goals between them in an impressive display of forward craft.

Over at Friendlies Oval, Moyhu recorded a sizeable result over Benalla All Blacks, booting 21.21 (147) to the Panthers’ 3.2 (20).

The match was over by half-time, with the Hoppers dominating play and hammering the ball inside forward 50, leading by 39 points at the half.

Bailey Zimmermann booted five goals for the Hoppers, while Chelton Orchard and Sam Cox were among the best for the Panthers.