Ladies Day dawned overcast, the surface slightly damp after some overnight rain. And for the early birds, the action started at 8:30, with Div 4 taking on Holroyd-Parramatta. The Goannas started the quicker and had a goal on the board after two minutes, but the Bombers fought back later in the quarter with two goals of their own to lead by six points at the first change.
It was a scrappy second quarter, the most memorable moment being the padding falling off the goal post after a shot at goal hit the post, requiring running repairs to the post as play continued. The Goannas kicked the only goal of the second term, with the Bombers trailing by a point at the long break. The arm-wrestle continued during the third quarter, but the Bombers took the upper hand with a goal with two minutes to go giving them a 4-point lead at the last change.
It had been a closely contested game for three quarters, but the Bombers ran out of legs in the last term, conceding the last five goals of the game to go down by 21 points.
The Div 1 game was up next. A tightly contested first quarter saw only three goals in total scored, with the Bombers leading by six points at quarter time. The game opened up in the second quarter into a more free-flowing contest, and it was goal for goal; the Bombers' six-point lead remaining intact at half time.
Fortunes continued to fluctuate in the third term, as the Goannas took the lead and threatened to get on top before the Bombers fought back to cut the deficit to just five points at the last change. The light had been deteriorating through the game, and the clouds opened up in the last quarter, drenching the fans on the hill and quenching the spirit of the Bombers. In a gloomy last quarter, the Bombers were held scoreless while the Goannas raced six goals through to blow the final losing margin out to 45 points.
The rain was torrential by the time the Under 18s started. And it was a disappointing first quarter for the Bombers, with the Students kicking four unanswered goals and the Bombers trailing by 23 points at the first change. The Bombers lifted their work rate in the second quarter, but could only kick behinds. Eventually the goal drought was broken, but although the Bombers won the quarter and had more scoring shots than the Students in the first half, they trailed by 19 points at half time.
The ground was heavy, clouds obscuring the buildings in the background as the rain continued to fall. And on the field, the Bombers continued their spirited fightback; and despite missing some shots in front of goal, the margin was down to 11 points at three-quarter time and a thriller was in prospect. The Bombers got the first goal of the last quarter, but the next goal to take the lead proved elusive. The Students got the next four goals to end the Bombers' hopes.
Finally it was time for the main game, the Premier Division. The crowd had been entertained, the ladies keeping dry in the champagne tent as the stalls in the clubhouse turned over stock. The ground was heavy, with no respite from the weather, leading to a scrappy opening term. But the Bombers had the edge when it mattered, and although the first quarter never reached any great heights, the Bombers kicked three of the four goals to be scored and led by 14 points at quarter time.
Slowly but surely the Bombers began to assert themselves. It wasn't pretty to watch - the conditions didn't allow for pretty football. But it had its moments, like a long bomb by Dale Fitzgerald and Pat Codling twice playing on to manufacture goals. But with a 32-point win at the long break, the Bombers were well placed.
The trend continued in the third term. It was a slog, but eventually the Bombers pulled away, four goals to one for the quarter seeing the Bombers 52 points to the good at the last change. By now the training lights, which had been on for most of the days, had replaced the natural light; it was dark and wet. But the calls of the crowd pierced the darkness, and the brilliance of the Bombers illuminated the way forward to goal. Six goals in the final quarter turned the game into a comprehensive win, the final 89-point margin preserving the Bombers' place in the top three.
Last Modified on 08/01/2013 13:57