The senior elimination final saw the Bombers up against Pennant Hills, and the first quarter was an absorbing struggle. The Bombers created plenty of opportunities, and had the two highlights of the quarter. Ted Strudwick ran 30 metres to run down his Pennant Hills opponent in a great tackle, while Kerrin Hughes went up for a speckie. But at the first change the Demons led by 4 points.
Ben Attwood put the Bombers in front in the opening minutes of the second term, but the lead was to be short-lived. A run of five goals in the row to the Demons during a second-quarter lull gave them the advantage before the Bombers steadied late in the quarter. At 19 points the difference, the game was still there to be won, but the Bombers would need to show more in the third term.
The Bombers lifted their intensity in the third quarter, contesting the ball and were helped along by a couple of strong runs along the wing by Adam Lord. But some wasteful opportunity saw them fail to make the most of their chances; and despite having had 4 more scoring shots than the Demons over the first three quarters, the Bombers trailed by 21 points at the last change.
The final quarter saw consecutive goals to Kerrin Hughes and Chris Murphy as the Bombers made a late bid for victory. But the Demon defence stood firm, and the Bombers went down by 17 points.
It was a welcome return to finals action after missing out last year, but sadly the wait for another Bomber senior flag is on hold till 2011. But despite going down in the first final, there have been many significant achievements for the team, and a solid base to build on in the quest for the 2011 title.
Final Score - Pennant Hills 12.8 (80) def North Shore 8.15 (63)
Last Modified on 24/02/2011 20:18
