OAKLEIGH charged to a 95-point victory against the Bendigo Pioneers in Saturday’s 13th round of the AFL Victoria TAC Cup season.
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Key forward Dan Houston kicked eight goals in the 17.16 (118) to 3.5 (23) victory on the Pioneers’ turf at Bendigo’s Queen Elizabeth Oval.
Slick teamwork, strong defence, multiple targets inside forward 50m were the hallmarks of Oakleigh’s play.
The opening quarter was to be the Pioneers best of the contest.
Oakleigh raced to a 22-1 lead by the 14-minute mark before Bendigo goaled when Sandhurst’s Braidon Blake was freed in a marking contest.
Moama’s Lachlan Schultz kicked the Pioneers second goal to cut the deficit to 10 point in the 19th minute.
Schultz’s goal capped a fine spoil by Red Cliffs’ Jonty Marciano.
Consecutive goals by Oakleigh, which included Houston’s third of the game put the Chargers up by 22 points at the first break.
The second and third quarters were dominated by Oakleigh.
The Chargers scored 13 unanswered goals as Bendigo added just two points.
Bendigo’s goalless run was broken in the seventh minute of the last term when Rhys Free from Cohuna Kangas marked a Schultz pass.
The fourth-placed Oakleigh scored the last two goals of the game.
Bendigo Pioneers’ coach Brett Henderson was bitterly disappointed by the result.
“We fielded one of our youngest teams of the year and will learn a lot from today,” Henderson said.
“One of the greatest lessons was about workrate.
“Another is finding a way to win a contest when things are not going your way.”
“Oakleigh’s ability to win the ball in close, or put us under a lot of pressure and force turnovers was a huge factor in the match.”
Henderson said too often the Pioneers were caught out when Oakleigh was able to win possession and pass to a team-mate in the clear.
“We were too reactive and too predictable.”
It was a tough initiation for first-game players Lachlan Atherton from Eaglehawk, Wentworth’s Jake Healy, and Laine Fitzgerald from Balranald.
Leitchville-Gunbower’s Marty Hore played a great game in defence and wing.
Hore earned a National Hotel meal voucher as did Riley Hogan, who has represented Northern Territory at the NAB AFL national under-18 titles.
Rochester’s Joseph Atley, Moama’s Lachlan Schultz and Sandhurst clubmates Lachlan Tardrew and Cooper Jones were among the Pioneers best.
The Pioneers play Sandringham Dragons from noon next Saturday at Warrawee Park.
