Bombers slump to third loss

COLLINGWOOD yesterday inflicted the Bendigo Bank Bombers’ third consecutive defeat of the VFL season.In their first home game at the Queen Elizabeth Oval for the season, the Bombers were held goalless after half-time as the Magpies won 13.11 (89) to 6.10 (46), leading for all but six minutes of the round three match.Kicking against the wind to the Barnard Street end in the first term, the Magpies made a strong start to the game as they built a 12-point lead at quarter-time, 3.2 to 1.2.Bendigo’s sole goal of the first quarter was kicked by key forward Jay Neagle at the nine-minute mark.Playing a slick brand of football where they looked to play on at all costs, the Magpies’ dominant first term was kickstarted in the midfield, where they won all five centre breaks of the quarter, as well as the stoppages 5-1.The Magpies opened the second quarter by kicking two of the first three goals to establish a threatening 19-point lead 11 minutes in.However, between the 12 and 18-minute marks of the quarter, the Bombers kicked three unanswered goals through Tom German, Rhys Magin and Charles Slattery to cut the deficit to three points.Integral in the Bombers’ revival in the second term was their ability to start winning the ball out of the centre.After being torn apart in the first quarter in the middle, the Bombers won the centre breaks 7-3 in the second term and broke even 4-4 in the stoppages around the ground. The midfield revival in the second term was led by ball magnet Paul Scanlon and Bachar Houli.Collingwood went into half-time leading by nine points, 7.6 to 6.3.Needing early goals to gain control of the contest in the third quarter, Bendigo wasted its opportunities in attack.Bendigo had six scoring shots for the term, but all resulted in points, none of which were rushed.Two of Bendigo’s third-quarter behinds were posters kicked by Scanlon and Magin.As well as the six behinds, Neagle also kicked a gettable set shot out on the full early in the term that would have drawn the Bombers within a point.While Bendigo kicked six points for the quarter, down the other end, Collingwood kicked two goals from its only two scoring shots.Both Collingwood’s third-quarter goals were kicked by livewire Magpies’ rookie Johnny Bennell, who finished the game with three.Despite having three times as many scoring shots as Collingwood in the third term, the Bombers’ deficit had grown from nine points at half-time to 15 at three quarter-time.Both sides had the same amount of scoring shots to three quarter-time - Collingwood leading 9.6 to 6.9.But the last quarter would be all one-way traffic as the Magpies finished the game strongly.Collingwood landed the early blow in the final term when the lively Anthony Corrie goaled at the five-minute mark to extend the Magpies’ lead to 21 points.Corrie’s would be the first of four last-quarter goals the Magpies kicked.The Bombers could only muster one behind in the final term - to Scanlon at the 13-minute mark - meaning Bendigo’s last seven scoring shots of the game were all points.Such was Collingwood’s dominance in the final term, it went inside its forward 50 20 times to the Bombers’ six, and won all five centre breaks.Unassuming half-back flanker Blair Holmes was named the Bombers best.Holmes finished with 16 possessions, but his defensive pressure was outstanding, laying eight tackles.Others to perform well included the in-form Cale Hooker, who started in defence before ending the game in the ruck, midfielders Houli (25 possessions) and Scanlon (29 possessions), wingman Tyson Slattery and John Williams.Neagle and Charles Slattery each kicked two goals to be among just four goalkickers for the Bombers.Lachlan Delahunty - classed as the Bombers’ 23rd player for the match under a new VFL rule for the round - showed plenty of promise.Playing up forward, the 18-year-old in his first game presented well, but his kicking at goal in the tricky conditions let him down.From three shots in the third quarter, Delahunty kicked two points, as well as one that didn’t make the distance.The best players for Collingwood included Brad Dick, who kicked two goals, Corrie, Ryan Cook, ruckman Cameron Wood and captain Damien Peverill, who played five games for Bendigo last year while on Essendon’s list.Former Bendigo Pioneer Toby Thoolen - now a rookie at Collingwood - played in defence for the Magpies.“The guys showed some real good fight in the second quarter to come back against the wind, but in that third quarter we just couldn’t put scoreboard pressure on, which hurts,’’ Bombers coach Adrian Hickmott said.“Collingwood was able to capitalise with their run and carry and make us pay after we had our opportunities.’’Statistically, Collingwood won the inside-50 count (49-35), centre breaks (14-10) and stoppages (23-14).The 43-point loss leaves the Bombers second-last on the ladder, with Bendigo, Geelong and Frankston the only sides not to have won a game after three rounds.Bendigo has the bye next week before confronting reigning premier North Ballarat at Stawell on May 10.