In a thrilling contest in wet conditions, the Rebels kicked the last two goals of the game, hitting the front inside the final 90 seconds, before winning 6.13 (49) to 6.10 (46).

Coach David Loader was ecstatic with his side’s effort in the windy conditions.

The Rebels, which trailed by four points at three-quarter-time, had to overcome kicking into the strong wind in the final term.

Loader said his side had battled hard in the conditions and highlighted the performances of several south-west players.

He said Portland ruckman Rowan Marshall was best afield, having carried the rucking duties all game while Warrnambool’s Tom Schnerring was never beaten at full-back.

“He played very, very well,” Loader said of Schnerring.

“He was great one-on-one and gave us some run out of defence.”

He said Warrnambool’s Tom Ludeman and Portland’s Tom Templeton were good in the midfield, with Ludeman doing a lot of the grunt work.

Warrnambool’s Luke McLeod and Koroit’s James Gow were also solid contributors. “It was a fantastic win,” Loader said.

“The boys really gutsed that one out. We knew it had been coming.

“Over the last month we’ve been unlucky we haven’t won a couple of games. Real credit to the boys and the coaching group because the vibe around the group was really good.”

In other games, Geelong Falcons defeated Northern Knights by 35 points to cement their spot in the top four.