Football
2 September, 2024
Bombers blow Tigers away early to set up commanding victory
A stunning first half from Noradjuha Quantong has propelled them into next week's Horsham District Football Netball League preliminary final against the Swifts after defeating Pimpinio by 84 points at Rupanyup Recreation Reserve on Sunday.
Noradjuha Quantong kicked into the wind in the first quarter, and it was tight in the first ten minutes, with both teams putting a lot of pressure on each other. Brock Orval had the first shot at goal following a free kick but kicked a point.
James Gregg had a shot within 30 seconds from the same spot, marking a nice kick from Zac Kelly, and kicked truly for the game's first goal.
It was a highly defensive game, with both defences hot early.
The Bombers midfield started to get on top, with Jack Vague giving them first use of the ball from the ruck, but the Tigers' defence stood up, led by Adam Westley. Each time Pimpinio tried to move the ball forward, the Bombers' defence intercepted it.
Wade Francis was dangerous down back for the Bombers, providing the run and drive.
The Bombers had their chances but couldn't capitalise in front of goal, kicking one goal five, which included an easy miss from 15 minutes out.
Adam Westley suffered an injury, putting the Tigers a man down early. The Bombers then started to capitalise on their opportunities, with James Gregg, Judah Hobbs, Damian Cameron, and Riley Dunlop all kicking goals to give them a 35-point lead at quarter-time while shutting out the Tigers.
At quarter-time, Tigers coach Guy Smith pointed out they needed to replicate what the Bombers midfielders did in the first quarter with the wind.
Going into the breeze didn't worry the Bombers in the second quarter. They kicked two goals, one of which was through Zac Kelly, giving them a 46-point lead.
Dylan Bates kicked the first goal for the Tigers at the ten-minute mark to bring the margin back to 40 points, but when Dylan Shelley kicked one late to extend the margin out to 47, the Bombers held firm, repelling the Tiger's forward entries, to go into half-time with a lead of 46 points.
At half-time, coach Damian Cameron said that desperation won the quarter and worked well together.
With the wind in the third quarter, the Bombers come out strong, with Judah Hobbs kicking the first goal in the first minute.
To their credit, the Tigers had other ideas. They worked hard in the quarter and were rewarded with a Tom Baker goal to reduce the margin back to 47 points.
When Matt Rosier hit the scoreboard three minutes later, the margin was 44 points, and the Tigers could sniff a comeback.
The Bombers held firm, fighting back, with a late goal to Brock Orval, giving them a 50-point margin at the final break.
The Bombers bounced back from their third-quarter performance, kicking another five goals in the last quarter to run out 15.16.106 to 3.4.22 winners.
Dylan Shelley was best on the ground with three goals, with midfield contingent James Gregg, James Hallett, Jayden Besford, Ruckman Jack Vague, and defender Dyson Parish.
Bomber defender Wade Francis was the star of the first quarter, setting up the win, and he praised the entire team for their work.
"I pride myself on working hard and creating as many opportunities as possible for my teammates, and the first quarter was excellent from the boys," Francis said.
"After quarter-time, I didn't have to do much as our midfield dominated and got the clearances, and our forwards were too good.
"It's not all about me, as the team played well, and winning was a good feeling."
Damian Cameron praised Francis's first quarter.
"He was unreal, and that's what he brings for us, with his set-up and confidence to hit targets with his elite skills, and it's good to have him down back," Cameron said.
"Jack Vague, two weeks in a row, has competed from first bounce to the last, and when he can feed guys like Besford, Hallett, and Gregg, it's unreal to see when he is on song like that.
"As for the game, it wasn't quite that four-quarter performance that I would have liked, and we let ourselves down in the third, but besides that, I was happy we could switch back on and run out the game. It was a good win."
As for next week, Cameron knows it will be difficult as the Swifts will bounce back.
"I think they are similar to us, where they are good in every area and don't rely on one to win football matches. If you slack off, they will hurt you," Cameron said.
"They have had their hiccups in the second part of the year, but a prelim is a prelim, and it's about who brings their best on the day.
"They defeated us the first time, and we had a good win the second time. Paul Summers is a massive danger, and with Nigel Kelly back, who did a good job on him last time we played, we know we are in a good position to nullify him, but if he gets the ball delivered on a platter like he usually does, he will be hard to crack."
"Dawson Cross is seeing a specialist during the week, so we are unsure if he will return."
For Pimpinio, they were far from disgraced. They learned a lot from their first finals series since 2009. Coach Guy Smith said a far better team defeated them.
"The Bombers were exceptional today, and it's a good learning curve for the playing group as they now know the level they need to reach," Smith said.
"We will continue to build as our playing group is so young, and we may be a few years where we are supposed to be, and that is good as it means the players are learning and driving to be better."