FOR the third week in a row, Leitchville/Gunbower recorded a 200-plus point score, obliterating Heathcote by 180 points at Gunbower on Saturday.
In a now familiar score line, the two-time Heathcote District Football Netball League grand finalists produced 53 scoring shots following 52 and 53 in previous weeks against Elmore and Mount Pleasant.
The avalanche of scoring against Heathcote was led by the remarkably accurate boot of league leading goalkicker Matt Perri, whose personal tally of 13.3 is only one goal short of the total scored by the Bombers’ last three opponents.
Competitive enough in the early stages of the first term, the Saints managed the first goal of the game and with a physical and combative attitude, there appeared potential for a closer game than recent weeks.
By comparison, the Bombers appeared sluggish and took nine minutes to score their first goal of the afternoon through Adam Deciccio.
From there the Bombers got rolling, kicking the next three as Matt Ladson and Brad Ladson began to dominate the middle of the ground, benefitting from the return of Michael Pilcher after a week’s break and the intelligent tap work of evergreen Lee Pollock.
Ayden Walton – captain for the day in the absence of Daniel Couwenberg and Hoby Bussey – led well, and with Perri looking frustrated early, was the main focal point with two first quarter goals.
Heathcote broke the run of scoring with a goal to Luke Podhajski and again gave the impression that they were perhaps going to prove the greatest challenge in recent weeks.
Unfortunately for the Saints, it would be another hour before they added another while the Bombers kicked 23 goals in an powerful performance.
The Bombers added nine goals in the second term as the Saints failed to trouble the scoreboard – Jack Dye kicked three for the term, as did Perri – due to the Bombers’ backline suffocating any Heathcote advance.
Eighty-nine points up at half-time, the Bombers put on the burners with a devastating 12-goal third term, reminiscent of the final quarter against Elmore.
Terrific run and handball from the middle and half forward swept the ball forward on an all too regular basis for the Saints’ liking.
Perri’s main battle was not with the Saints defence but with Walton and Dye, who had drawn level with him on four goals just minutes into the term.
Bombers fans have long marvelled at Perri’s ability to score in bursts and the third term was one of his best – six goals for the term, moving him to 10 for the game – with a set shot from 40 metres out, tucked against the boundary line, the pick of the bunch.
The last quarter saw the Bombers ease off somewhat with Perri adding three mores as Heathcote finally managed a couple of late goals.
Walton and Dye finished with seven and five goals respectively and the Bombers look to have found the structure capable of kicking large scores.
All three will need to fire in coming weeks as the Bombers embark on a tougher month with matches against the Bendigo clubs – Huntly (away), North (Gunbower) and White Hills (away). Certainly the Bombers’ credentials as a genuine contender will be known by the end of July.
