Border Mail |
NORTH Albury skipper Dan Leslie returned to the forward line with devastating consequences on Saturday as the Hoppers trounced Wodonga by 70 points at Bunton Park.
Leslie had been a star in defence in the opening month of the season but he went forward to kick six goals for the Hoppers in their 23.12 (150) to 11.14 (80) win against the Bulldogs.
He teamed superbly in attack with Adam Prior (five goals) in a flashback to 2007, when the Hoppers last made the grand final.
Kane Godde and Brandon Ryan dominated for the Hoppers in the midfield while Jethro Calma-Holt was outstanding across half-back with his precise kicking.
North Albury coach Jason Akermanis was pleased with the victory but felt the Hoppers should have done better after leading by 62 points at half-time.
“I’m really happy with the first half, we asked for a big intensity and workrate and we got that for the majority of it but there was a bit of junk in the second half,” Akermanis said.
“Against the good sides I just know that won’t be good enough but I also know we are still finding a combination that’s going to work.
“We wanted to throw things around a bit.
“I thought Josh Senior, down back, was absolutely fantastic. I was really pleased to have a defender who can stop the ball and bring it out with such accuracy.
“We threw Jethro back there, he’s played a lot of his career back there and he actually reads the play really well.
“It’s going to take time to find the right mix.
“I’m pleased with the win but, really, we let them back in when we didn’t need to.”
The Hoppers started the match superbly, piling on four goals in the opening eight minutes and by the time Prior kicked his third just before the quarter-time siren, the lead was out to 37 points.
Leslie continued the rampage in the second quarter, taking several strong grabs as he went to half-time with four goals to his name.
The Hoppers suffered a blow just before the long break when assistant coach Matt McDonald was concussed in a heavy tackle. He played no role in the second half.
Wodonga put up more of a fight in the third quarter, outscoring the Hoppers six goals to five as Bulldogs coach Ben Hollands tried to inspire his troops.
Tensions boiled over late in the term and a melee erupted which saw Hopper Brian Durbidge and Bulldog Tim Kindellan sent off while Prior had to leave the field under the blood rule.
The Bulldogs battled in the final term but Hollands was left to rue their most disappointing performance of the season after accounting for Wodonga Raiders last round.
“We’re very disappointed with that. I honestly just don’t think we came to play,” Hollands said.
“I think our boys were still enjoying a win from 10 days ago on Anzac Day.
“It’s a pretty good lesson for our group that they’ve got to prepare themselves for an Anzac Day battle every week.
“Today, we didn’t compete anything like we have been and that’s got to be the basis of our game.
“We certainly haven’t got the fleet-footed running brigade that’s going to put the ball on a 10 cent piece every time.
“It needs to be about our effort around the footy and how we compete and crack in and we didn’t do that to anywhere near the level we have been.”
