The Northern Bullants produced a commanding four quarter team performance against Sandringham last weekend to take another step closer to consolidating their top four position. The Bullants were never headed in the match, as the home side struggled on the scoreboard, kicking only two goals for the game, as the visitors ran out 79 point victors.
The match was important for both sides – Sandringham to further the gap between themselves and ninth placed Box Hill, and for the Bullants a chance to break a two game losing streak, and produce their first win against a top eight side since round 6 of the season.
With both teams heading into a bye in round 16, the coaches’ impressions of the game could not have been further apart post match.
Zebras coach Brett Lovett was unimpressed with his sides’ performance, lamenting back to back 10 goal plus defeats against top eight opposition. “We are not playing very positive football, we are playing very individual, selfish, non team orientated football at the moment.”
Northern Bullants coach Darren Harris on the other hand was pleased with his sides four quarter performance. “We talked a lot about four quarter effort today, and I thought we got that done so I was really pleased with that effort.
“We talked during the week that it was the first time we have lost two in a row, and we were pretty disappointed with our first half last week (vs Williamstown). There was a much bigger emphasis that we had the opposition one on one pressure for a lot of the game,” Harris said.
“We had around 100 tackles, which says our intent was there from the start.”
In a lacklustre first term, the signs did not indicate the match would be a one sided affair, with both teams able to attack the goals. The more accurate Bullants led by five points at quarter time.
The second term was where the game turned around, with the Northern Bullants kicking five unanswered goals to the Zebras one behind. Rohan Kerr opened the onslaught for the visitors marking up forward to kick his second of the game, and then goals to Jarrod McCorkell and Levi Casboult quickly had the margin out to 23 points just five minutes into the quarter. It wasn’t until midway through the quarter that Michael Lourey kicked Sandringham’s only score of the term – a behind – but the Bullants answered with goals to Ryan Gale and Tyson Thomas with his second, to see the half time margin sitting at 36 points.
News at half time was not good for the Zebras, with both Michael Gardiner and Rhys Stanley both set to sit out the second half with hamstring complaints. Despite their presence in the first half, Bullants big man Nick Meese was dominant in the ruck, and he continued this form into the second half amassing 42 hitouts for the afternoon against a variety of second half opponents.
The Bullants run of goals continued in the second half, kicking another three unanswered goals, as the small forwards of the visitors made their mark on the game. Thomas and Ahmed Saad combined for all of the Bullants goals in the third term, with Thomas leading all scorers with four majors for the game. Harris was pleased with Thomas’ return to form. “I thought he was one that was a little bit down in recent weeks, and he really stepped up today. His forward pressure and being able to hit the scoreboard were really important.”
At three quarter time the margin was 55 points, and the Zebras started the final term on a positive note, ending the 10 goal unanswered run of the visitors to see Tommy Walsh kick his second of the game. But that is where respectability ended for Sandringham, as the Bullants rammed home the last five goals to run out 79 point victors.
Both sides have the bye this week, with Sandringham having to regroup quickly before they take on ladder leaders Port Melbourne in round 17, and Northern Bullants face Box Hill Hawks.
Last Modified on 12/07/2011 17:52