Geelong Advertiser | A DOMINANT fourth quarter helped Bannockburn maintain its perfect start to the season, running out a 46-point winner against a brave Thomson outfit on Saturday.
Thomson managed to stay within striking distance in the first three-and-a-half quarters, but inaccuracy in front of goal hurt it and allowed Bannockburn to kick five unanswered majors in the final term.
After four rounds, Bannockburn is undefeated and second on the ladder, sitting snugly between powerhouses North Geelong and Inverleigh, with all three separated by percentage.
Bannockburn coach Craig McGough praised the output and determination of his side, particularly in the first three quarters.
“We’re happy with our performance — we were challenged for three quarters of the game and we were able to just run away to the finish,” he said.
“I thought we were reasonably good all day defensively, and we had some really good offensive passages of play, but I was pleased about the fact that when we were challenged we stood up to those challenges and we came out the other side OK.
“Not every week you’re just going to run away with games, you’ve got to work for them sometimes — and today we had to work for it.”
Bannockburn was boosted by the efforts of star forward Jordan Bourke, who provided a reliable option upfront booting six majors en route to a best-on-ground performance.
His efforts were matched by rotational midfielders Brad Watts and Martin Curtis who provided genuine spark for Bannockburn to break away in the final term.
Thomson co-coach Brent Taylor said Bannockburn “used the footy smarter”, following missed chances for the Tigers in the first half.
“In the first three-and-a-half quarters, we had nearly as much of the footy as they did, but they were just more polished going forward — and they were smarter,” he said.
“We’ve got stuff to work on, but had we made the most of opportunities — then it would have been a lot closer for a lot longer.
“The game was still on there at three quarter time, and to their credit they finished the game off a lot better than we did.’’
