A come-from-behind victory has seen the Northern Bullants defeat last year’s Grand Final arch nemesis North Ballarat, with a thrilling last quarter crushing any remaining hopes’ of a Roosters premiership defence as Brendan Lucas reports.
The Roosters started the Semi Final clash strongly, kicking the first two goals of the quarter through Billy Driscoll and ruckman Orren Stephenson, as the Bullants’ remained scoreless until the 10-minute mark of the first term.
A goal to Shaun Hampson gave the Bullants their first at the 25-minute mark, as it seemed quarter time could not come soon enough for the Bullants’ who lacked intensity and were outplayed in every area.
The first 10 minutes of the second term left both sides scoreless once again, as the Roosters maintained a comfortable 27-point lead.
Costly misses midway through the second term for the Bullants’ kept them from capitalizing on a more functional forward structure.
Brock McLean’s much needed goal at the 20-minute mark gave his side a glimmer of hope heading into half time.
McLean (30 possessions) was outstanding all day for the Bullants’, with a work horse-like attitude giving the Bullants’ plenty of drive through the midfield particularly throughout the second half.
The third term saw tensions running high, as the games intensity lifted. However, in order to prevent the Roosters’ captialising up forward, Bullants’ coach Darren Harris opted for a “plus one” up forward in order to overcrowd their options.
Scores were tied at the 8-minute mark of the third term. In a see-saw affair that followed, Zach Touhy’s entry into the game gave the Bullants’ the lead for the first time of the day.
Although it was the Roosters’ Billy Driscoll who seemed to find a way through the Bullants’ increased defensive efforts, as two goals late in the quarter stretched North Ballarat’s lead to 15.
However, when things looked good for the Roosters’ a huge clash of bodies between Driscoll and Joe Dare on the outer side, saw both players down for over a minute. Both players managed to recover, as a stumbly, bloodied Dare headed to the bench.
By three quarter time, the game was at boiling point, as both teams had demonstrated their passion to topple one another at any cost.
Port Melbourne coach Gary Ayres made the most of the week off, as he watched on around the Roosters’ huddle, scouting a possible opponent for their upcoming Preliminary Final.
A 15-point difference, and the final term saw both sides with plenty of opportunities, but it was the Bullants who looked up to the task.
Three goals in quick succession to Bullants big man Shaun Hampson saw his side hit the front midway through the last, as Marcus Darmody’s size was beginning to be exploited.
A high tackle on Roosters’ Daniel Pratt (27 possessions) salvaged a goal at the 27-minute mark capping off a stellar day, but once again it was Hampson who put it further from the Rooster’s reach at the 29-minute mark to kick his sixth.
The Bullants’ claiming a thrilling 18-point win over their arch rival, and securing a Preliminary Final berth against Port Melbourne this Saturday.
“Obviously we didn’t start that well,” said Bullants’ coach Darren Harris on their performance after the game.
“Once we cleaned that up at quarter time, and the boys got back on the task, I thought we just kept chipping away with all that hard effort, especially the way we tackled late in the game.
Harris stressing that the character and leadership of the players in conjunction with their alignment with Carlton has created a strong winning culture.
“I think when you have got leaders like Iacobucci, McCorkell and Meese around the place this year, those sort of players bleed red and make sure the Carlton boys come along for the ride,” he said.
“It is a really quality alignment based on the relationships the players have with each other.”
Despite Port Melbourne’s ominous form, Harris remained optimistic heading into their Preliminary Final clash.
“They are the standout team in the competition. They touched us up last time we played, after we gave them a little bit of a contest early,” he said.
“For us, after a couple of hard games we just need to recover against them, and hopefully if we bring that sort of spirit we brought today, we should be half a chance.”
North Ballarat 12.6.78 def. by Northern Bullants 14.12.96
Last Modified on 13/09/2011 08:35