A TINY step and a contentious umpiring call in the last seconds of the North Central A Grade netball preliminary final may have cost Boort a place in the decider against Wedderburn.
In chaotic scenes, the Magpies scored to level the game against Sea Lake Nandaly at 31 apiece but the umpire called for a reset.  
Boort shooter Steph Wilson had passed to unattended goal attack Sophie Perryman, who scored before the mysterious reset call.
Wilson then chose to pass again rather than shooting.
Perhaps unsettled by being unexpectedly passed the ball again, Perryman shuffled her feet minutely before goaling and was penalised.
So, two Boort goals had been denied within a few heartbeats, and Sea Lake had the ball in hand when the clock ran down seconds later.
Boort coach Carly Isaac said of the umpiring: “Some calls were hard to adjust to, and we just didn’t do that all game.
“I’m probably more down about our efforts in the rest of the game.”
Wedderburn coach Susie Lockhart was at the match and was stunned by the umpiring call, saying she didn’t understand the reset decision that preceded the stepping infringement.
“It could have been a draw if the umpire didn’t make that funny call,” she said.
Tigers coach Jodie Cox, understandably, was happy with the adjudication.
“It was great for us that the umpire didn’t fall asleep, and we got a little bit of luck.”
Boort led throughout the game but was outscored 10-6 in the fourth quarter.
“We probably didn’t play our game,” Isaac said.
“I still feel we should have won it earlier.” After losing by just one goal against unbeaten Wedderburn a week earlier, another one-goal defeat was a bitter pill to swallow for the Magpies.
“We ended up a couple of steps short of where we wanted to finish, but it was a good year,” Isaac said.
“On Saturday we didn’t show what we’re capable of, but last week to lose by just one goal to Wedderburn was one of the highlights of the year.
“To run them so close when they are easily the best team in the league was an achievement,” Isaac said.