THE scoreline may have appeared close, but the 30-point margin in favour of Leitchville/Gunbower against fellow Heathcote District Football Netball League title aspirants, Colbinabbin, may as well have been 100 points and perhaps with better accuracy in front of goal from the Bombers, should have been.
On a perfect day and with a immaculately renovated surface, the stage looked set for an exciting battle between the second and third placed sides.
Instead, fans were treated to a slow moving arm wrestle that didn’t do justice to the setting and conditions.
Missing some key personel in defence, Colbinabbin played most of the day with two spare men behind the ball in an attempt to frustrate the Bombers’ scoring options.
Combined with a flooding tactic that often saw all players in one half of the ground, the Grasshoppers were indeed successful in limiting their opponents’ scoring, but unfortunately appeared to have little concept of how to go about it themselves.
The HDFL’s leading goalkicker, Matt Perri was the focus of close attention and had to deal with two opponents for much of the day and his three-goal total was a reflection of how hard he had to work to manufacture goals.
With only six goals between the two sides at half-time and the Bombers holding an 11 point lead, the score gave an appearance of a close game. The reality was while competitive, the Grasshoppers lacked scoring options with so many of their forwards pushing up the ground.
When they did work it forward, the home team found scoring made difficult by the likes of Logan Prout and Brady Hore.
Prout smothered key forward Ryan Hon and Hore’s intercept marking denied Colbinabbin on numerous occasions.
Colbinabbin relied on their midfielders to score, while the Bombers had the lively Jack Dye, as well as Perri and Ayden Walton, to aim for.
Dye’s two goals for the term were outstanding – the first a long bomb on the run and the second a mid air volley close to goal.
Three-quarter time had the Bombers up by 19 points and normally the hosts would be within striking distance.
Early goals to Perri and Michael Pilcher soon dispelled any illusion that the game was up for grabs, with the Bombers dominating possession and if not for some very inaccurate kicking for goal, would have recorded an scoreboard hiding to the home team.
The Bombers now enjoy the bye round before taking on Mount Pleasant at Gunbower on July 1.
