It was a blustery day in Gunnedah on Saturday for Round 14 of the EETAFL when the Saints faced off against the Bulldogs in the final home and away game of 2011. It was a match that mattered little for the Saints as they needed to win by more than 150 points to steal 2nd from the Nomads. However the Bulldogs had it all to play for, needing to win to fend off the Eagles who were expected to win at home and challenge for 4th.
The Saints kicked with the aid of the breeze in the first quarter but struggled to pinpoint any targets in the tough playing conditions. The Dogs played a smart brand of footy, slowing down the play and keeping it close to the boundary to add to the Saints frustration. Howeverthe Saints started to work their way on top and when Jason Gobbert snapped his second for the quarter, the Saints opened up a 20 point lead at the first change.
Now against the wind, the Saints started the quarter brightly in the second, but missed a couple of costly chances and allowed the Bulldogs back into the game with some fundamental errors in the backline. The Dogs piled on 5 goals to the Saints 2 for the quarter and the half time margin was a 1 point lead to the Dogs.
The Saints had it all to play for in the third, and after Peter Dunlop put a beauty through the big sticks early, they got the perfect start and kicked the first 3 of the quarter. The Dogs steadied with one of their own, but this time they would ruing thei rmisses as the Saints capitlaised and booted another 3 to open up a handy 33 point lead at the final change.
Nedding only to shore the match up, the Saints played good defensive footy in the final quarter and allowed only 1 goal for the majority of the quarter and kicking one for themselves. The final margin of 22 points showed the closeness of the game, but the Saints were happy with the second half effort to restrict the Dogs to just 4 goals.
Justin Pay was sensational in the middle for the Saints, whilst Jono Elphick continued his impressive year. Leigh Tunner was strong in the middle, whilst Chris Schneider continued his rise in the ranks with another strong performance down back. Jason Gobbert filled in for a one match cameo and booted 5 goals in attack.
The Saints now face the Nomads in the Qualifying Final in Armidale next weekend in what will be another huge battle between the two northern rivals.
Last Modified on 23/08/2011 20:14