It felt like spring had come early at Gore Hill on Saturday. Glorious sunshine, warmer weather; sensational conditions for the final home & away round of the season.
First up were the Under 18s. It's been a challenging season for the young Bombers, but with a full team to choose from, hopes were high of finishing the season on a positive note. The Bombers raced out of the blocks with a goal in the first 30 seconds; but the Demons steadied. The Bombers trailed by eight points at quarter time, but the second quarter didn't go to plan. The Demons were scoring goals too easily, seven unanswered for the quarter; and at the long break the Bombers were 37 points behind.
The Bombers managed to slow the leaking of goals in the third term, but were unable to make any dent in the deficit. The Bombers tried hard, as they have all season, but went down by 64 points. We've had a very young Under 18s side this year, one that has fought in the face of adversity. But it's been an important year for their development, and we look forward to seeing our young Bombers back in the black and red next season.
The Div 1 side was up next, and they peppered the goals early, but could only manage behinds. Against the run of play, the Demons scored twice in a minute, and although the Bombers lifted late in the quarter, they were still four points behind at quarter time. The Bombers took the upper hand in the second quarter - inaccuracy again let them down, but eventually the Bombers took the lead and found themselves 11 points ahead at the long break.
A healthy crowd was building on the hill, taking in the sunshine. In the third quarter of the Div 1 game, scoring opportunities dried up and the quarter remained goal-less until the Bombers put one through in the final seconds to open up a 21-point lead at three quarter time. The Demons attempted to have one last roll of the dice with two quick goals in the last quarter; but from there it was one-way traffic as the Bombers ran away with the contest to record a comfortable 25-point win. For our reserves side, it was a good way to finish the season.
And then it was time for the main event, the Premier Division clash, with the Bombers aiming to keep top spot. But it was a slow start for the Bombers, with Pennant Hills having four goals in the blink of an eye. The Bombers had to regroup to stop the rot, and they got one goal back; but with a 21-point deficit at quarter time there was still plenty of work to be done.
The Demons got out to a 28-point lead during the second term, but the Bombers fought back late in the quarter. Finally finding some run and getting the ball to the targets, the Bombers won the quarter to cut the margin back to 15 points. The Bombers had come from behind against UNSW-ES in the last home game, and would need to do so again in the second half.
Catch-up football is a tricky proposition, and whenever the Bombers looked a chance to get back into the game, the Demons had the answering goal. Conceding five goals for the quarter, the Bombers found themselves 30 points behind at the last change, the dream of the minor premiership slipping away. And so it proved in the last quarter, as the Bombers were forced to roll the dice - scoring five goals but giving plenty away.
In the end, the Bombers went down by 48 points; and depending on other results, in all probability have lost the minor premiership. Likely scenario is a re-match with Pennant Hills in the qualifying final next week - to be confirmed.
Last Modified on 09/01/2013 09:29
