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LEITCHVILLE-Gunbower will carry the red-hot form of 15-consecutive wins into Saturday’s Heathcote District Football-Netball League grand final against North Bendigo.
The Bombers made a shaky start to the season when they were defeated by North Bendigo (35 points) and Colbinabbin (41) in their opening two games.
However, from round three onwards the Bombers have been unbeaten, with no opponent getting any closer than 34 points during their 15 wins in a row.
So dominant have the Bombers been during their winning run that nine of their 15 victories have been by at least 100 points.
To have won so convincingly so often the Bombers have been strong in all areas of the ground, starting in the midfield where recruit Tom German has been superb all season in leading the on-ball brigade.
Jackson McEwen, last year’s HDFNL Rising Star Adam Decicco and Tim Lincoln have all provided plenty of run and had solid seasons, while Daniel Couwenbeg, Bart Walsh and Jye Keath are all quality players.
Down back the Bombers have only conceded one score above 80 during their winning streak, while eight times they have held their opposition to 50 points or less.
Ryan Prendergast – one of the three players injured in the second semi-final win against Huntly – co-captain Hoby Bussey, the experienced Kieran Treacy and Daniel Meroli are key pillars in defence for the Bombers.
The forward line has been spearheaded by X-factor Matt Perri, who has booted 77 goals – 35 of which have come in his past five games.
The Bombers have also had Daniel Coates (35), who was injured in the second semi-final, Lincoln (33), Ayden Walton (32), Sam Kennedy (28) and Decicco (22) kick 20-plus goals.
Leitchville-Gunbower hasn’t won a premiership since 1995 in the Northern Echuca Football League when Travis Hore kicked a goal on the siren to beat Moama by three points.
But since bottoming out in 2012 with just one win, the Bombers have been on a continuous upwards trend of finishing fifth, third and second last year when beaten by North Bendigo in the grand final by 10 points.
If that trend continues on Saturday, their drought will finally be over.