It's every goal kicker's dream.
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The clock has long ticked past 80 minutes, and you get the chance to boot the team you grew up cheering for to an iconic win when you've had your backs pinned against the wall for the best part of 80 minutes.
But even Ryan Lonergan thought "this is borderline". On the halfway line, 15 metres in from the right hand touchline. The angle would have made it a near 60-metre kick.
What came next will go down in club history as one of the ACT Brumbies' most iconic moments, mirroring fellow local junior Mack Hansen's moment in the spotlight almost 12 months ago.
Lonergan's long range penalty goal just cleared the crossbar to give the Brumbies a thrilling 27-24 Super Rugby AU triumph over the Melbourne Rebels at Canberra Stadium on Saturday night.
MORE SUPER RUGBY
"It's every goal kicker's dream to be able to kick that one. You remember the ones you hit, and you remember the ones you miss," Lonergan said.
"I remember missing one against Daramalan to get to a semi-final once, remember that one Tross?"
To Lonergan's left as he recounted the match-winner stood Brumbies teammate and former schoolboy rival Tom Ross, laughing about the day he pipped his close mate.
To his right was brother Lachlan Lonergan, who was fresh off an epic 72-minute shift at hooker. Even he didn't think his brother had the legs, but then again, "you doubt all my kicks, hey?"
"To be honest I was thinking 'this is borderline'. I was confident to take the kick, but the thing I was worried about was my distance," Lonergan said.
"Everyone wants to say straight away they wanted to take the kick, but I had to think about it. Because of the context of the game, I think it was probably the right call just to have a crack at it. I felt confident in myself but I knew I was right on the limit.
"I think I kicked one at Gowrie from about 55, but it was like a balloon. It was much easier to kick those balls. That's up there with one of the longest I've hit, I'm usually a 45 metre type of guy, I just gave it everything."
But this memorable triumph goes far beyond Lonergan's moment of brilliance which came in the wake of a Richard Hardwick penalty well beyond the 80th minute of play.
Allan Alaalatoa was red carded on the stroke of half-time for a high shot on Rebels prop Pone Fa'amausili, leaving the Brumbies captain staring down the barrel of a hefty suspension.
Andy Muirhead was yellow carded in the 68th minute, reducing the Brumbies to 14 men for a crucial stretch when the game was hanging in the balance.
Hooker Connal McInerney finished the night in a moon boot after being helped from the field after nine minutes with a nasty ankle injury.
Regular starting rake Folau Fainga'a missed the game with a toe injury, 100-Test prop James Slipper is in a knee brace, and Solomone Kata was a late withdrawal on game day.
It left Scott Sio to lead from the front with a 60-minute effort in the front-row, where he was joined by emerging hooker Lachlan Lonergan and Daramalan College product Ross.
The Brumbies had no right to beat the Rebels, who were spearheaded by the boot of Matt To'omua as the star playmaker booted eight penalty goals to notch up all 24 of his side's points.
Yet they found a way. As champion teams do, the Brumbies fought tooth and nail to stay in the contest with a band of young guns leading the way, and they got over the line with a kick that brought the crowd to its feet.
"Super proud to be honest, because we were far from our best. You've got to give credit to Melbourne," Brumbies coach Dan McKellar said post-match.
"We knew what they'd bring and they certainly brought that in bucketloads and put us under pressure, and I thought we lacked a bit of accuracy.
"You've got to find a way sometimes, and at half-time you lose your captain to a red card and then Andy got a yellow card as well which put us under a whole lot of pressure.
"For us to just grind it out, for the finishers to find a way and for a good young local bloke in Ryan Lonergan to say 'I've got this in me' and step up and execute under enormous pressure, I'm really proud."
AT A GLANCE
Super Rugby AU round three: ACT BRUMBIES 27 (Len Ikitau, Tom Banks, Penalty try tries; Noah Lolesio, Ryan Lonergan conversions; Lonergan, Lolesio penalties) bt MELBOURNE REBELS 24 (Matt To'omua 8 penalties) at Canberra Stadium.
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