LEITCHVILLE/GUNBOWER will start the second half of the Heathcote District Football Netball League season third on the ladder thanks to a 100-point win against fifth-placed Elmore on Saturday.
The win – the Bombers’ sixth in a row and fifth triple-figure victory of 2016 – leaves last season’s grand finalists one win behind competition leaders Colbinabbin and reigning premiers, North Bendigo.
In what has become an increasingly familiar pattern, the Bombers spent the first half of Saturday’s game at Gunbower parrying their opponent’s best efforts before unleashing a nine goal to nothing third term – underling the gulf that separates the contenders and potential also rans in the HDFNL.
Elmore actually scored the first goal of the game and as befitting a top five side, took the game up to the Bombers on a Gunbower Oval already heavy underfoot due to overnight rain and becoming more affected as light rain fell throughout the afternoon.
The Bloods certainly didn’t lack size and threw plenty of weight about in the early going – with the conditions suiting the likes of Jesse Smith and Cam Millward – and with plenty of intensity around stoppages spectators began to contemplate the likelihood of a much closer game than the previous weeks against Heathcote.
Daniel Coates got the home side underway with a three-goal first term blitz that lit up the dull afternoon and although not adding to his tally for the rest of the game, he was clearly the standout player for the home side.
From there the Bombers didn’t look back with the usual suspects prominent. Bart Walsh, Tom German and Jackson McEwen provided the drive from the middle, Tim Lincoln patrolled the wing, and Cam Ross looking ominous in the ruck until he was injured in the second quarter.
Although providing obvious concern for this weekend, the injury to Ross did little to halt the Bombers’ momentum, with Lee Pollock relishing the chance for an unchanged run in the ruck, giving Leitchville/Gunbower great drive from stoppages as well as taking some telling marks around the ground .
Third terms have become the Bombers’ speciality and Saturday was no different as any resistance from Elmore was crushed completely, with the home side piling on nine goals while the visitors remained scoreless.
Barely sighted in the first half, Matt Perri led the onslaught with three goals, highlighting how many of the Bombers players come in and out of the game on a regular basis.
Far from being detrimental to the cause, the Bombers appear to have the happy knack of taking up the slack when another drops off.
The game tightened considerably in the last term as legs grew heavy in the damp conditions and the Bloods even managed a couple of goals, but it was all too little too late.
The win means the Bombers have the best percentage in the competition, but face challenges in the coming two rounds – hosting North Bendigo this weekend, before a trip to Colbinabbin on June 18.
