Fierce Forge secure first ever The Fly title at The Fly 2024
Kieran Pegrum-Milner staged the ultimate upset as he led his Forge team to a first ever The Fly title, defeating 2023 champions and his former coaching mentor Sam Patterson, 15-13 at Rosslyn Park on Sunday.
Forge came into this final match in blistering form after winning their previous three games, including a play-in and semi-final match.
But they started their most important game of the season on the back foot as they conceded two quick-fire goals courtesy of Hustle’s Ed Loveland and Ryan Hunns.
A Tom Roper finish got Forge underway in the final but a third for Hustle through Jack Dearden saw them 3-1 down after just two and a half minutes.
It didn’t get any better for Forge as Hustle showed exactly why they claimed the title last year and came into this match as the favourites, scoring two more goals without reply thanks to Loveland and captain Alex Russell.
A second for Forge did eventually come through Jamie Powell but this game looked to be running away from the team in green and black before it had even properly begun as Drew Wilkinson and Josh Clegg scored one each to see Hustle go in at quarter time 7-2 up.
Whatever captains Powell, Dan Watson, and Head Coach Pegrum-Milner said at quarter-time finally kicked Forge into gear as they came out of the blocks in the second quarter and hit three goals through Rob Harris, Josh Phillips, and Tom Bracegirdle to put them within two goals of Hustle.
Hustle weren’t going to fold that easily and Mike Pomfret extended their lead to three at 8-5.
With two minutes left in the quarter, Forge came within one goal of Hustle when Powell and then Bracegirdle scored in quick succession.
But with 1:20 to go, Hustle kept their distance once again as Dan Flisk added his name to the scoresheet to see the teams go in at half-time with the score at 9-7 to Hustle.
If the first half was chaotic and full of goals, the second half was the complete opposite with both teams attempting to shore up their defences and make it difficult for the other to score.
Forge managed to drag themselves level for the first time since early in the first quarter mid-way through this third quarter after goals from Powell and Bracegirdle cancelled out Loveland’s hat-trick goal for Hustle.
At 10-10, Forge had a choice to either watch what Hustle do next or go for it and they chose the latter, adding three more goals before the end of the quarter courtesy of Jack Robinson, Roper, and Harris while restricting Hustle to just one through Tom Roche.
With eight minutes left, Forge had successfully turned the game in their favour.
Hustle came out in the fourth quarter fighting, however, and reduced the two-goal lead to one when Hunns fired in, something they did again shortly after when Russell scored for Hustle shortly after Harris’ goal for Forge.
With 20 seconds to go, Phillips put the game beyond Hustle with Forge’s 15th and they saw out a scintillating game to lift their first The Fly title.
MVP | Rob Harris (Forge)
MVG | Jack Allen (Forge)
Final Standings
Forge
Hustle
Swift
Rise