LEITCHVILLE/GUNBOWER grounded out a hard fought 34-point win against White Hills at Scott Street on Saturday, extending its winning sequence to 10.
Far from being a percentage booster – the Bombers had beaten the Demons by 108 points in April – Leitchville/Gunbower struggled early to match the determined Demons whose accurate short passing on their home ground confused the visitors.
Modern football doctrine dictates that its acceptable to let the opposition have easy short passes in the backline, which it appeared the Bombers were happy to do much to the advantage of the Demons.
The problem for the Bombers was that this was at the small Scott Street oval, not Gunbower or Leitchville and two short kicks from defence followed by a long one puts the ball well within scoring range.
After hitting form against Mount Pleasant the previous week, the Demons continued in the same vein in a cracking first term, kicking five goals to the Bombers four, exploiting the Bombers reluctance to pick up players in short or unlikely positions to receive the ball.
White Hills scored goals with system while the Bombers were much more haphazard and were fortunate that Matt Perri and Daniel Coates produced a couple of freakish snaps to keep the visitors in touch.
Tom German was industrious at the bottom of the packs and further contributed to the Bomber cause with a fine kick for goal after the quarter time siren to put the Bombers within five points, which given how well the Demons had played was somewhat surprising.
White Hills persisted with their accurate short passing game thru the second term aided by the Bombers’ inaccuracy.
Seven behinds from the Bombers gave the ball to the Demons just where they wanted it and from the kick-ins, White Hills generated rapid ball movement to their forward line.
Fortunately for the Bombers their opponents produced some startlingly inaccurate shots at goal of their own – Ben Greene and Sam Frawley the main culprits – and really let the Bombers off the hook with the half-time margin only five points still in the Demons’ favour.
Adam Decicco sparked the Bomber resurgence with a clever soccer goal at the start of the third term and with Perri on fire with two more, Leitchville/Gunbower dominated the early part of the quarter.
Jackson McEwen and German provided the drive from the middle benefitting greatly from Jason Dal Santo’s fine tap ruck work as the Bombers – still inaccurate but with better awareness of the Demons’ game plan – ground out a lead.
Coates and the tireless Tim Lincoln goaled to give the Bombers a handy, but by no means secure, 22-point lead at the final change.
The first goal of the final term was the prize that could have turned the game back toward the Demons, but it was the Bombers through Will Brereton at the six-minute mark who extended their lead, then Sam Kennedy added the finishing touch with a goal after another inaccurate afternoon.
