THERE was no third time lucky on Saturday for Charlton, which is again lamenting another missed opportunity in a North Central Football League grand final.

For the third year in a row the Navies suffered a grand final near-miss when beaten by St Arnaud by eight points.

The Navies were beaten 13.8 (86) to 11.12 (78), with the defeat following grand final losses by one and 12 points to Wedderburn the previous two seasons. 

The Navies will rue missed opportunities, particularly early in the game.

The Navies had the better of the first quarter, but were unable to make it count when they squandered opportunity after opportunity in kicking 1.6.

By match-end the Navies had 23 scoring shots to 21, generated 50 inside 50s to 44 and won three of the four quarters, yet were beaten by a St Arnaud side that made more of its chances, particularly in the third term. 

After trailing by 27 points early in the last quarter, the Navies later stormed to the front by four points, before the Saints kicked the final two goals.

“We had our opportunities… we were 1.6 at quarter-time, had we kicked three or four of them it might have been a different story,” Charlton coach Aaron Walklate said.

“Poor kicking is poor footy and we paid for it.”

Charlton’s best were centre half-back Rhys Thompson, Luke Mulquiny, Walklate, James Baird, wingman Sam O’Connor and Luke Kyriakides (two goals).

Charlton has become the first club since Donald (1996, 1997 and 1998) to lose three-consecutive NCFL grand finals.