Coffs Tigers stun league leaders Yamba in eight-goal thriller

COFFS Coast Tigers stunned ladder-leaders Yamba Breakers with a 5-3 win in a goal-laden showdown at Polwarth Drive on Saturday in the Hit105.5 Men’s Premier League.

Flying winger Ethan Sechi lit up the opening stages, burning past the Yamba defence and coolly slotting home after just six minutes.

But Yamba hit straight back.

Brady Power-Casson levelled immediately with a bouncing volley that beat the Tigers keeper and crashed into the roof of the net.

The end-to-end tone was set, and it didn’t take long for Sechi to strike again – his blistering pace once more carving open the defence as he restored the Tigers’ lead at 2-1.

Power-Casson wasn’t done, nodding in a textbook header to make it 2-2.

Then chaos in the Yamba six-yard box saw Luke Bradney pounce on a loose ball from a mishandled corner to edge the Tigers ahead 3-2.

But Yamba’s Premier League leading marksman Taylor Corbacho kept his cool from the spot, rifling in a penalty to send the teams into the sheds locked at 3-3 after a breathless first half.

The second half slowed, but the Tigers found the decisive edge.

Thomas Mitchell rose above the pack to nod in from another corner, sending the home fans into raptures.

With time running out, Steven Mitchell settled the contest – firing low into the bottom corner to seal a famous 5-3 win and a crucial three points.

The result lifts Coffs Coast to seventh on the ladder, now six points off the top four and back in the finals hunt.

In Grafton, Woolgoolga Wolves edged Westlawn Tigers 1-0 to leapfrog Yamba and claim top spot on goal difference.

The Coffs Tigers next face their hometown rivals Coffs United Lions in the battle of the big cats on Saturday 5 July at 5pm at Forsyth Park.

League leaders the Woolgoolga Wolves host the Bellingen Bats on the same day at 3pm.

By David WIGLEY