The Inverell Saints have made it three wins on the trot with a hard fought victory over an undermanned Gunnedah outfit. The Saints were buoyed by the inclusion of leaders Jason Gobbert and Matt Harrison and produced a polished display to down the tenacious Bulldogs. In contrast, the Bulldogs were missing several key personnel and struggled to contain the continual attack of the Saints.
The conditions were trying with a 4 goal breeze swirling around Varley Oval. The Saints kicked into that breeze in the first quarter and pushed hard early, kicking a couple of quick goals to get themselves going. A beauty from James Williams hard pressed against the boundary proved just the tonic as the Saints quickly established a lead going into the first break. Chris Whitton was proving too much for the Dogs already, running through the wing with purpose and Corey Borthwick was rebounding out of the defensive 50 providing the ball on a platter for the midfielders.
The Saints opened up in the second and, kicking with the breeze, all but finished the Bulldogs. The Saints kicked 7 goals to 1, but the Dogs were their worst enemies missing several makeable shots. Jason Gobbert started coming into his own after an extended lay off and Dave Kent was once again dangerous at the bottom of every contest. Williams kicked another brilliant goal and 2 late ones in the quarter saw the Saints go into the sheds 50 points to the good.
The third was a great contest between the two teams. The Dogs kicked 3 of the first 4 of the quarter and looked likely to stage a comeback, only to be stopped by tenacious defending by Sam and Joe Kimmince. The Saints midefield were rattled early in the quarter, but fought back to gain he momentum in the latter part of the quarter to see the margin at 42 points into the last change.
Any thoughts of a Bulldogs comeback were quickly snuffed out with the Saints booting 3 goals in the first 4 minutes of the final quarter. The Saints dominated the Dogs in all facets during the last and the margin could have been but for some wasteful shots on goal late in the match. The final quarter kicking of 5.7 took a little of the shine of the win, but overall it was a comprehensive effort by the Saints. Chirs Whitton and Corey Borthwick were best on ground for the Saints, closely followed by Justin Pay who has continued his meteoric rise as a footballer. Williams and Gobbert were also impressive, as was the debut of young gun Jack Lawton, who showed plenty of potential playing on the wing.
The Saints will now re-group and prepare for the one the most hyped matches in our history against the Kangaroos in Tamworth next week. The Roos have suffered only one loss all year, on ANZAC Day under lights at Varley. They are in red hot form and will enter the game as favourites with the Saints getting a couple of injury concerns with Mick Corley and Jono Elphick being added to the list.
Last Modified on 16/06/2008 12:28