SENIOR FOOTBALL
The Bulldogs approached the contest for The Rodney Cup, against arch rivals Mooroopna, with some confidence. The team had a run of form, which has included three consecutive wins leading up to the round 9 contest. The momentum gained from those outings was to be severely tested against the top of the ladder Cats.
The game was played under cool but fine conditions, with a slight breeze favouring the eastern end.
The Bulldogs had to kick into the breeze in the first quarter and was quickly into gear thanks to some slick clearance work from Rob Montgomery and a strong mark to Tim Little.
While Tatura had plenty of the footy, poor delivery into the forward 50 caused the ball to be turned over. Mooroopna made the Bulldogs pay with two quick goals. A long goal to Billy Lovel got the Tatura team on the board.
Damien Yze added his third goal for the quarter to give Mooroopna plenty of momentum. A strong mark and goal to Tim Little saw the Bulldogs down by 19 points at the first break.
With the aid of the breeze, the Bulldogs supporters keenly looked towards a big second quarter.
The game turned into a real arm wrestle, with both back lines on top. The Cats were wasteful in front of goal and missed some opportunities that could have put the game out of Tatura’s reach. The Cats kicked only two goals seven behinds for the quarter. The Bulldogs’ only goal came at the 26-minute mark, courtesy of a Chris Ryan mark and conversion.
The deficit at the long break was 29 points and the game looked to be slipping away from Tatura.
Billy Lovel had hurt his calf and would take no further part in the game and youngster Tom Cosgriff was yellow carded for 15 minutes.
A passionate plea from the Tatura coach was clearly received by the players; the contest in the second half became tight. The extra pressure applied by the Bulldogs started to put some doubt into the Cats’ players and the mistakes started to mount.
Tim Lanyon, who was the best player on the ground for a four-quarter performance, marked at the five-minute mark of the third term. His long kick split the middle of the uprights and the Bulldogs were off and running.
Tom Durward applied plenty of pressure and provided a lot of drive, as did the man who never falls over, Linc Wellington.
Slowly but surely, the Tatura side worked its way back into the contest.
James Milne applied forward presence and a great pass to Cam Trewin resulted in another goal. Paul Kirby dragged in a great mark in the goal square to convert another six pointer.
A strong lead and mark to Trewin resulted in a long goal. At the three-quarter time break, the Cats had been kept goalless and Tatura piled on four straight to cut the margin to a manageable eight points.
With the aid of a slight breeze to come home with, the Bulldog supporters were optimistic that their team could run down the top of the ladder Cats.
The side got just the start it was after with a great left foot snap from Chris Ryan, which reduced the margin to two points. The Dogs were full of run and the unrelenting tackling and pressure started to rattle the Cats.
Tim Lanyon capped his day’s work with a second goal for the day; a long running goal.
The Bulldogs were in front at last and were not going to relinquish the hard work they had put in. Every time Mooroopna scored a goal, the Dogs were able to quickly answer.
A great snap from the boundary by Billy Hicks and a long bomb from Linc Wellington sealed the contest, much to the delight of the supporters.
The final result saw an 18-point victory to the Bulldogs and the retaining of the Rodney Cup. The momentum continues to build.
Final scores were Tatura 13, 7, 85 to Mooroopna 9, 13, 67
Coach Steve Daniel said that to beat the top team on the ladder was a fantastic result.
“The effort on the day showed immense character and I am really proud of the way the Bulldogs performed.
“It just shows that when you put in the effort, you are rewarded,” said Daniel.
With four wins in a row, the season is certainly moving in the right direction for the Bulldogs. The club’s loyal supporters have plenty to look forward to.
Next week is a home game against Benalla, featuring a celebration of the 250th Goulburn Valley game of ruckman Paul Kirby.
BEST: Tim Lanyon, Rob. Montgomery, Shane Kay, Tom Durward, Tim Little and Linc Wellington
GOALS: Cam Trewin 3, Tim Lanyon 2, Chris Ryan 2, Tim Little 1, Billy Lovel 1, Linc Wellington 1, Billy Hicks 1 and Paul Kirby 1
RESERVES FOOTBALL
The Reserves came up against a sterner test than previous weeks. The Cats were sitting in third position on the ladder and, at home, were looking to inflict the Bulldogs’ first loss for the season.
The game was a real dogfight; both sides applied plenty of pressure across all of the ground and there were no easy balls to be won.
With the aid of the breeze, the Dogs registered two goals and five behinds to the Cats’ one goal.
Jonathon Coe worked overtime at the contests and provided a lot of run. Corey Mallon, having a run back in the reserves, provided plenty of endeavour and brought his teammates into the contest.
Another of the mid-size running brigade, Lachie Armstrong, played a top four-quarter game, which provided a spark to drive his team forward. This hard running was rewarded with a great team goal in the second quarter involving Corey Mallon, Lachie Armstrong and Christian Barnett.
The contest remained tight with neither side able to break away. The Bulldogs backline, led by Bobby Knowles and Warren DeLeeuw, proved a giant obstacle to the opposition.
Coming into the last term, the Dogs’ lead was only 12 points and Mooroopna, with the assistance of the breeze, looked a strong chance to inflict the Tatura team’s first defeat.
Tough, unrelenting, finals-type football was played in the last term. With only seconds remaining, the scores were locked at 42 points and a draw looked a chance. A ball up at half forward for the Bulldogs saw Tom Flannigan take possession. His great snap was on target and gave the Tatura team a six-point lead.
The siren sounded and a hard-fought victory was confirmed, maintaining the unbeaten run. Another tough encounter awaits the Bulldogs next week against the also unbeaten Benalla side.
BEST: Lachie Armstrong, Jon. Coe, Warren DeLeeuw, Bobby Knowles, Tom Flannigan and Josh Stammers.
GOALS: Jake Lloyd, Lachie Armstrong, Christian Barnett, Corey Mallon, Tom Flannigan and Cameron Joinbee all one goal
U/18s FOOTBALL
After a week’s rest, the under 18s came up against close town rivals Mooroopna.
The contest was tight throughout and the Bulldogs showed plenty of spirit.
A lapse proved costly; this time it was the second quarter, when the team only added one point to the Cats’ three goals. At the long break, the home team had a 27-point lead.
The positive was the form of under-16 prospect Matt Daniel, who offered a leading option up forward and kicked five goals for the morning.
The third quarter saw the young Dogs work their way into the contest and cut the margin to 21 points. The usual suspects led the side well.
Tom Miller gave a lot of drive from half back. Mitch Elliott ran hard to spaces and provided a leading target. Matt Cornwall took some strong marks and offered plenty of run and carry. Daniel Johnstone got his hands on the ruck contests and moved the ball forward on many occasions. Lachie Magee used handball to bring his teammates into the game. With every player lifting their work rate, an upset result was a real chance.
Half-way through the last term, the Cats’s lead was cut to 10 points. While the team did not give up, the lead proved insurmountable and a goal on the siren to the Cats saw them run out 16-point winners in an entertaining contest.
BEST: Tom Miller, Mitch Elliott, Ben Harris, Matt Cornwall, Daniel Johnstone, & Dylan Argus
GOALS: Matt Daniel 5, James Nihill 1, Mitch Elliott 1 and Matt Cornwall 1
Last Modified on 16/07/2011 21:38