A Richard Bradley snap on goal in the dying seconds of the game saw the ball drift safely across the goal line beyond the outstretched fingers of a Cougar's defender. This was no ordinary goal. It was the culmination of fight back by a team that looked down and out at three quarter time, but the Blues dug deep and pulled off a miraculous draw. Their opponents, the Cougars, must be kicking themselves for letting such a lead evaporate, but in the end they failed to capitilise on shots on goal in the last quarter and felt the ire of the umpire as costly 50-m penalties handed the Blues confidence generating goals. Injuries to Harris and De Joux in the first half robbed the Cougars of clean ball winners and marking options, which were so desperately needed in the torrid last quarter. The game had many controversial moments, but this has been a fact of life in the history between these two proud clubs.
The draw between the Cougars and Blues has set up an exciting last round clash between the Bulldogs and Cougars. Both the Blues and Cougars have 5 1/2 wins each and with the Blues certain to beat the struggling Eagles next Saturday, the Bulldogs, with 5-wins, must win to play off in the Grand Final. This will in part be determined by who shows up to play for both sides. The Bulldogs have yet to put a full strength team on the park. If and when that happens, they may be able to produce the goods. They play a tough, grinding style of game that could upset the more fancied Blues and Cougars. It isn't pretty, but it gets the job done.
Last Modified on 18/10/2008 19:03