By Kieran Jones
Sandringham kept their finals hopes alive with a 19 point win over Bendigo at Windy Hill on Sunday.
In a less than convincing victory, the Zebra’s were able to shake off a persistent Bombers outfit who were looking for their first win of the season.
The Zebras led at every change, with the forward combination of Nick Heyne and Nicholas Sautner providing nine goals between them.
The win came at a cost for Sandringham, with St. Kilda listed players Luke Ball and Matt Maguire both sustaining injuries that saw them miss the majority of the second half.
After a tightly contested first quarter, Sautner and Heyne provided a spark in the second term, whilst midfield duo Jarryn Geary and Peter Summers offered plenty of drive through the centre, extending the margin to 25 points at half time.
The Bomber’s intensity and tackling pressure began to wane in the third, as Sandringham extended the margin to 30 points at the final change.
Strong forward presence from Tom Bellchambers and better delivery into the forward line threatened to close the gap, though Heyne snuffed out any chances for a Bombers victory with his fifth goal.
Bendigo would not give up, however, and good run and carry from the likes of Jarrod Atkinson and Paul Scanlon in the last term reduced the margin to a respectable 19 points.
The Zebras, who face Geelong next week, now sit in eighth position on the ladder, ahead of Collingwood on percentage, whilst Bendigo are firmly entrenched at the foot of the table and travel to Coburg on Saturday.
Bendigo Bombers 3.0 4.6 7.7 12.8 (80)
| Sandringham 3.3 7.13 11.13 14.15 (99)
GOALS:Bendigo Bombers: Page 2 Holmes 2 Magin 2 Bristow 2 Bellchambers Delahunty Richards Thomson
Sandringham: Heyne 5 Sautner 4 Armitage 2 Smith 2 Lynch
BEST:Bendigo Bombers: Page Jetta Atkinson Myers German Bellchambers
Sandringham: Geary Summers Smith Gallagher Simpkin Johnson
Last Modified on 03/08/2009 13:27