The Courier |
SOMETIMES the scoreboard doesn't tell the whole story.
BUNINYONG 16.9 (105)
BALLAN 2.8 (20)
Buninyong's thumping 85-point victory over Ballan at home on Saturday was to be expected, but only after a fierce first-half struggle that saw the visitors draw to within two goals early in the third term.
As the gloom descended, the lights came on both literally and figuratively for the Bombers as Steve Butler lit up the scoreboard with three third-term goals to rip the game away from the gutsy Blues.
"We weren't playing how we had prepared and how we have played all year," said a reflective Buninyong coach Joe Gilbert, summarising his team's first half.
Ballan, however, was up and about early, but failed to split the major uprights until Ryan Closter's long bomb hit the target three minutes into the third term. And when evergreen Rod Watts found some space to cut the margin to just 10 points, whispers of a major upset drifted through the crowd.
"We weren't expecting great things, but I was more then happy with our endeavour and hardness in the first half," said Ballan coach Darren Batties.
Ash Mullane, Zeb Morcombe and Ryan Aqualina turned up the heat in the midfield only to see their good work come to naught on the scoreboard.
Ballan being held goalless in the first half was largely due to the defensive efforts of the relentless Chris Wills and composure and steady boot of Tyler Ditloff.
Ultimately, the Blues ran out of legs following injuries to Anthony Kitchen and Dan Chrsitie, and were reduced to a one-man interchange mid-way through the second term.
After half-time, the floodgates opened as the Bombers took their chances to pile on six goals in the third quarter and finally quell the uprising.
Wills, Ned Gilbert and ex-Western Bulldog Eddie Prato (four goals) led the way for the Bombers, while Ballan was best served by Ryan Closter, Ben Fenwick and Dan Nielsen in a defence under constant siege in the second half.
