Prelim Final day at Blacktown dawned to glorious sunshine, with Blacktown Olympic Park looking a treat for the Under 18s clash. The Bombers took on the Eagles, with a prize of a Grand Final berth for the winner.
The Bombers soon found themselves on the back foot with two early Eagle goals; but the Bombers have displayed a never-say-die fighting spirit all season and weren't going to lose that now. The Bombers worked their way back into the contest, getting plenty of the ball through the midfield and forcing Eagle turnovers. Bomber forwards began to present themselves as targets, with Justin Falconer and Tim Bransgrove getting on the scoreboard as the Bombers hit the lead late in the first term and led by a point at quarter time.
The second quarter started badly, with the Eagles wasting no time in scoring the first three goals of the quarter and looking set to run away. But the Bombers worked hard to stop the bleeding of goals and had plenty of possession in the latter stages of the quarter. But despite some close calls, the Bombers were unable to get a goal in the second term and found themselves 15 points in arrears at the long break.
Honours were split in the third term, with the teams scoring 2 goals apiece. Both of North Shore's goals came through the marking and goalkicking of Justin Falconer. But the 15 point deficit was still on the board at the last change; and a big effort in the last term was required to propel the Bombers into the Grand Final.
It wasn't to be, an early East Coast goal effectively sealing the Bombers' fate. But it wasn't for a lack of effort, with Tim Weston and Ned Anderson replying with goals to cut the margin to 10 points with still enough time to steal the contest. The ball was camped on the North Shore forward line for the last 15 minutes, but the two remaining goals that would have got the Bombers through would not come.
And so the season comes to an end. No Premiership glory, no Grand Final appearance but plenty of positives from the season. The development in our young Bombers has continued, and some outstanding talent continues to come through the ranks. The future for North Shore looks bright - bad sadly, no black and red will be represented on Grand Final day this year.
Final Score - East Coast 8.7 (55) def North Shore 6.9 (45)
Last Modified on 24/02/2011 20:24