The Courier |
BEAUFORT kicked its highest score of the season to make it two on the trot with a thumping 81-point win over Illabarook at a windy Smythesdale on Saturday.
With a strong breeze favouring the eastern end, the toss was all important and, unsurprisingly, the Crows kicked with the wind and took full toll in the first term.
Lee Marshall, claiming three goals and a 'speckie', book-ended the first term with two goals, and when Zane Thompson twice judged the flukey wind with precision, the match looked all but decided.
Staring at a 41-point deficit late in the first term, Illabarook's task grew in difficulty when defender Nick McCulloch was stretchered off in the 20th minute with a suspected broken leg.
The Bulldogs, however, found another gear.
Midfielders Stephen Frys and Tim Conder provided the impetus from the clearances, while Ryan Jeffrey and Glenn Mann prowled the forward line as the Bulldogs piled on the first three goals of the second term to bring the margin under four goals.
This prompted Beaufort's on-field leaders into action as its minister of defence, Damien Day, called an emergency meeting at centre half back to reorganise the backline in an attempt to quell the uprising.
From this point, it was one-way traffic as the Crows booted the next seven goals to open up a match-winning nine-goal lead against a team that has failed to kick 10 majors in any match this season.
If AFL strategists look to the west, their 'swingman' theory could soon be shelved and Beaufort may well be ahead of its time, having a triple threat in its armoury.
Jarrod Trigg bagged a trio of goals in the third term and proved pivotal in both the ruck and defence to be the most influential player on the ground.
For the hosts, Shannon Berriman continued his fine form, while Chris Morcombe, Tristan Weightman and Chris Robertson toiled hard under constant pressure.
