Shepp News |
It took until the last quarter, but reigning premier Tatura finally shook a dogged Seymour to post a 45-point win on Saturday.
There were few remnants from the clubs’ grand final clash last year.
Ten Bulldogs and nine Lions, including skipper Brent Colbert (hamstring), from that match did not play at the weekend and both sides have new coaches.
Three Tatura recruits, James Wall, Rian McGough and Alec Young, instead played pivotal roles.
Wall spent most of the game on a wing — as opposed to up forward — and was constantly involved, while McGough was prominent in midfield and forward stints.
Young booted all four of his goals in the second half.
Saad Saad’s free kick and subsequent major gave Seymour a 10-point lead — its biggest of the match — early in the second term, but Jye Warren and Leigh Owen combined the same quarter to give the Bulldogs the lead for good.
Even so, no more than 18 points separated the sides until Tatura’s six-goal-to-one final-term avalanche, after which Lions coach Shane Robertson accused his players of giving up.
‘‘I asked for an increase in effort at three-quarter time and Tat got the first goal and we gave up,’’ Robertson said.
‘‘The intensity and effort weren’t there and they didn’t have the belief.
‘‘The first score was important and we had the opportunity to do that and I think it was an umpire’s decision that took the ball up the other end .
The Bulldogs’ trio of young defenders were superb.
Tom Miller again took the honours against Saad Saad, although the Seymour whiz still managed three goals, Jayden Young was good against Paul Colbert and the revitalised Tom Durward enhanced his interleague hopes with a damaging performance.
Wall’s forward absence enabled others to step up, with Young (four goals), Nick Grigg (three) and Paul Kirby and Mitch Elliott (two) bagging multiple majors.
Tatura coach Scott Grigg was pleased with his team’s goal-kicking spread and ability to step up at the end.
‘‘We really focused in the last quarter on our skill execution and we were kicking a goal every 12 possessions, which is a pretty impressive stat,’’ Grigg said.
‘‘Our pressure was excellent and I didn’t think their pressure was low, but we had a really big emphasis on what we did on our spread and what they were doing on theirs.’’
The Lions’ best were defenders Matt and Tim O’Keefe and big ball-winner Robbie Douglas, while Brandyn Grenfell turned in another solid display in his breakout season.
