FULL COVERAGE: BFNL grand final 2016
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
A DOMINANT second half in Saturday’s Bendigo league grand final against Golden Square propelled Sandhurst to its first flag for 12 years.
Just as the Dragons had done in their previous grand final win in 2004 against Gisborne, they came from behind at half-time to win by 32 points.
The Dragons slammed on eight goals to two in the second half to win 12.18 (90) to 8.10 (58) at the QEO in front of a crowd that paid a gate of $65,000.
Sandhurst frittered away constant chances in the first half to put the Bulldogs under scoreboard pressure.
Despite having five more scoring shots than the Bulldogs in the first half, the Dragons trailed by five points, 6.6 to 4.13, in a game that had been hotly contested dominated by stoppages.
Could goalkicking yips be responsible for the Dragons – who had lost the previous two grand finals to Strathfieldsaye – losing another one?
Fortunately for the Dragons, they weren’t made to rue their missed chances as they found their radar after half-time, kicking 8.5.
The third quarter proved pivotal in swinging the match in favour of the Dragons.
Indeed, it was the “premiership quarter” for the Dragons that started when after an early behind, Lee Coghlan checksided a goal to put Sandhurst in front by one point at the five-minute mark.
The Dragons wouldn’t trail again.
After a stalemate in which you could sense Golden Square was just clinging on, the Dragons then broke the game open with an eight-minute patch in which they booted three goals.
The first came when Nalder medallist Kristan Height marked a Joel Wharton mis-kick and booted his second of the match from 25m at the 15-minute mark.
When Nick Stagg converted a set-shot after receiving a free kick, and Joel Wharton then snapped from 40m, the Dragons had opened a 19-point lead as rain tumbled.
Down the other end the Dragons’ backline, which featured one of their standout players in Hamish Leahy, was superb in mopping up and sweeping the ball clear.
As the Dragons grew in confidence, the Bulldogs could muster just two behinds for the quarter – one of which was a rushed behind when Sandhurst defender Josh Hann booted the ball through the goals.
After the inaccuracies of the first half when they kicked 1.6 in the first quarter and 3.7 in the second, the Dragons added 4.1 against the breeze in the pivotal third term.
While there had been several spotfires typical of a grand final between two fierce rivals that had broken out during the game, tensions exploded late in the third quarter.
Firstly when Sandhurst’s Pascale Craig was reported for charging Square’s Brayden Dorrington, who was collided into as he ran back with the flight.
Square’s Travis Baird was subsequently reported for striking Craig, with both players given yellow cards for their indiscretions.
Then right on the three quarter-time siren the game erupted when Square’s Tom Toma was reported and also yellow carded for rough conduct after a sling tackle on Alex Wharton that sparked an all-in-melee.
It was chaotic scenes as spectators spilled out onto the ground, and in a scenario reviving memories of the 1980 VFL night grand final between North Melbourne and Collingwood, Sandhurst’s James Coghlan took the subsequent shot at goal after the siren surrounded by a swarm of spectators.
Coghlan’s shot didn’t make the distance, leaving Sandhurst 18 points in front at three quarter-time.
The Dragons then made sure there would be no Bulldogs’ revival when Joel Wharton kicked the first two goals of the final quarter in the opening three minutes.
The first was from 15m out straight in front when he was awarded a free kick in a marking contest, while the second was one of the goals of the day from 45m on the scoreboard flank, with those two blows from the “Baby-faced Assassin” signalling party time for Sandhurst.
At that stage Wharton had kicked the last three goals of the match and the Dragons had kicked seven in a row during a run that started at the 26-minute mark of the second term when Craig – who had missed his first three shots – nailed a fine set-shot.
Earlier, the Dragons peppered the goals with the first four scoring shots of the match in the opening seven minutes, but could only muster four behinds.
Kicking with the aid of the breeze to the city end, the Bulldogs responded by slotting three goals in a row, all through full-forward Dylan Johnstone.
Two of Johnstone’s goals came after he outmarked Angus Parry in one-on-one duels. Johnstone ended the match with a game-high four goals.
The Bulldogs led by as many as 16 points during the first term, before the Dragons – whose first six scores of the game were all behinds – kicked their first goal after Height outmuscled Dale Young and converted.
The Bulldogs led by nine points at quarter-time, 3.3 to 1.6, before the Dragons opened with the first two goals of the second term through Lee Coghlan and Koe Ngawati to hit the lead.
The Dragons had the momentum, but the Bulldogs, applying plenty of pressure that they were unable to sustain after half-time, hung tough and sparked by three goals in five minutes to co-captain Jack Geary, Che Walls and Hamish Morcom, led by 12 points and the pendulum had swung back their way, but they would only kick two more goals for the rest of the match.
Sandhurst’s best players were dominated by a quartet of bullocking midfielders in best-on-ground Height (two goals), Adam Parry, Ngawati and skipper Blair Holmes, who all fed off the work of ruckman Tim Martin.
For the Bulldogs, their best was retiring star Simon Rosa, who was awarded the AFL Victoria Medal as he finished his career with a typical polished game.
Jon Coe in defence and co-captains Geary through the midfield and Dorrington in the back line were also solid performers.