GISBORNE unleashed another brutal second half, this time against rivals Kyneton in a 138-point thumping at Gardiner Reserve on Saturday.
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Having outscored Castlemaine and Maryborough 165-26 in their previous two second halves, this time the Bulldogs piled on 20.9 to 0.1 after the main break to win 26.16 (172) to 5.4 (34).
The margin blew out to 138 points after the Bulldogs had led by just 10 points at half-time.
“We’re starting to get a bit of depth back into the side, so we’re not relying on our young kids and they’re probably not running out of legs as much,” Gisborne assistant coach Jordan Barham said.
“We’re starting to play some fluent football and we’re obviously really happy with the way we’ve been able to finish our games off the past few weeks.”
The Bulldogs piled on 10 goals in both the third and final quarters.
Trent Crosbie bagged six goals for the Bulldogs, including five in the third term.
The Bulldogs also had Shaun Comerford (four), Patrick McKenna (three), Ben Sonogan (three) and Ethan Minns (three) all kick at least three goals in what was the 12th time in their 28 meetings Gisborne has beaten Kyneton by at least 100 points.
The best player for the Bulldogs was Hamish Govan, who shut out Tigers’ midfielder Ryan Carafa in the second half.
Consistent defender Tim Walsh continued his superb season against Kane Ransted, while small forward Minns and 2012 Michelsen medallist Scott Walsh (two goals) were also among the standouts for the Bulldogs, who improved to 9-3 with the win.
The Bulldogs pulled a surprise selection with the previously-retired coach Rod Sharp playing.
Since losing to Kangaroo Flat by one point on the Queen’s Birthday Monday, the Bulldogs have now beaten Kyneton, Castlemaine and Maryborough by a combined 337 points, during which they’ve boosted their percentage from 118.2 to 154.8.
“It’s good to fill the boots, but we’re realistic and know that we’ve got to perform against the top sides, which we haven’t been able to do yet,” Barham said.
The 138-point hiding - a scoreline reminiscent of dark years gone by for the Tigers - was their fourth loss in a row.
The classy Carafa was electric in the first half and kicked three of the Tigers’ five goals before Govan was moved onto him.
David Romer, William Daly and Ben Thaw were other players who battled hard for the Tigers, who will now set their sights on winning their first game at the Queen Elizabeth Oval since 1999 when they meet South Bendigo next round.
