LVFNL – Bears turn three quarter-time deficit into a 63-point victory

The Bears, not helped by inaccuracy, had kicked just five goals to three quarter-time, at which stage they trailed the Bulldogs by five points on Saturday.

However, the Bears launched a withering final term onslaught, piling on 12 goals to one to run away with a 17.16 (118) to 8.7 (55) victory at Serpentine.

The Bears’ last-quarter of 12.2 was their most potent term since they kicked 12.7 in the third against Inglewood in round 16 of 2013.

“The first three quarters we were able to generate a lot of shots on goal, but were very inaccurate,” Bears coach Greg Gadsden said.

“We were able to convert a lot better in the last quarter and it clicked into gear for us. We hit our targets, ran in numbers and shared the ball well.

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“When you’re doing that and hitting the scoreboard with goals as opposed to points, it obviously makes a big difference.

“I thought at three quarter-time our guys would be fit enough to run the game out, but I can’t say I thought we’d kick 12 goals to one.

“We had the confidence though that if we kept persisting and pushing, we’d be able to get over the top, we just had to straighten up in front of goal.”

The Bears’ finish to the game was in stark contrast to how they started after they were held goal-less in the opening term and were 23 points down at quarter-time, 4.3 to 0.4.

The best for the Bears was half-back Josh Walsh, who was a constant thorn in the side of the Bulldogs with his intercept marking.

“He would have taken a dozen-or-so marks, read the play really well and did a fantastic job,” Gadsden said.

Charlie Gadsden, who had a run-with role on Bulldogs’ play-maker Billy Micevski, and Cody Gunn (five goals) also played top games for the Bears, who had 11 goalkickers.

From a 0-4 start to the season, the Bears have now fought their way back to 5-5 and sit in fifth position on the ladder.

While the Bears are on the up, it’s a different scenario for Pyramid Hill, which had started the season 6-0, at which stage it was a game clear in top spot, but has now lost four in a row by a combined 185 points and dropped to fourth position.

Mitch Cheesman and Nathan Fitzpatrick with two each were multiple goalkickers for the Bulldogs, whose best players were led by Andrew Dobby and co-coach Gavin James.

Calivil United replaced Pyramid Hill in the top three courtesy of its crucial 29-point victory over Mitiamo.

In a game both teams had gone into with 5-4 records, the Demons’ superior accuracy proved telling in their 15.4 (94) to 9.11 (65) triumph at Mitiamo.

“It was a massive game and I thought we played some good footy today,” Demons coach Anthony Dennis said.

Mid-season recruit Daniel Reid again proved what a valuable acquisition he will be for the Demons, following up his seven goals last week with another six.

Another of the Demons’ mid-season recruits, midfielder Vincent Tassone, was also a solid contributor in his second game for the club.

“He’s a very good contested player and would have had 12 to 15 clearances today, which was very important,” said Dennis, who kicked two goals.

Captain Chris Down in the ruck was named the best for the Demons, continuing his outstanding season.

The game was the last of the season for Demons’ assistant coach Matt Magee, who is moving to Sydney for work.

The defeat ended the three-game winning streak of the Superoos, who lost their position in the top five.

The Superoos were beaten despite having one more scoring shot in what was their sixth-straight game where they scored more behinds than goals.

The better players for the Superoos, who trailed at every break, were Ryan Wellington, co-captain Jarryd Wiegard and Luke Lougoon.

Maiden Gully YCW recorded its biggest win for seven years to move back to the top of the ladder.

The Eagles thumped Marong by 119 points, winning 24.18 (162) to 6.7 (43).

The victory was the Eagles’ biggest winning margin since they defeated Ingelwood by 122 points in round six of 2011 and was set up by a blistering first term when they slammed on 9.2.

From 42 points up at quarter-time, they extended their advantage to 59 at half-time and 90 at three quarter-time, before the final margin of 119.

Cohen Kekich was a strong presence up forward for the Eagles booting seven goals, while Luke Gray chipped in with four and young forward Tyler James three in his first senior game of the season.

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Kekich’s seven goals were the most by an Eagles’ player since 2014.

Wingman Nick Waterson took best-on-ground honours for the Eagles, winning plenty of the ball and using it well, while he was among 11 goalkickers for his side.

The loss was the second in a row by more than 100 points for the Panthers, and like the previous week against Calivil United, their final score was less than what their opposition had on the board at quarter-time.

Veteran Tom Longford and Jacob Ede battled hard to be the two best for the Panthers, who kicked four of their six goals in the opening term.

Bridgewater held Inglewood goal-less in the first half on the way to a victory that moved the Mean Machine back within one game of the top five.

The Mean Machine triumphed 14.17 (101) to 11.10 (76) at Inglewood, keeping intact an unbeaten run against the Blues that stretches back to 2008.

“We played some good team footy in the first half, but we let them get a bit of a run-on in the last quarter and to their credit, they played pretty well in the second half,” said Bridgewater coach Dale Cameron, who pulled the boots on for the first time this season.

The Mean Machine led by 40 points at half-time, 6.10 to 0.6.

However, the Blues had the better of the second half on the scoreboard, kicking 11.4 to 8.7 to make it a far closer game than their round two contest when Bridgewater won by 155 points.

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Veteran defender Daniel Nalder played a typically stoic game at full-back to be Bridgewater’s best player, while Liam Jacques through the midfield continued his strong form and also pushed forward to kick three goals.

“Liam is still only young, but he’s our main ball-winner and is also hitting the scoreboard, which is what we want from our midfielders,” Cameron said.

The Bridgewater side, which also had Alex Powell kick three goals, included a first-gamer in Fraser Symons.

“Fraser looked pretty comfortable out there today, which was good to see,” Cameron said.

The 25-point margin was the first time in their past 20 encounters Inglewood hasn’t lost to Bridgewater by at least 54 points.

“We’ll take a fair bit out of the second half. We could have just rolled over like we have in the past against Bridgewater, but the boys really wanted to fight it out and that’s what we need week in, week out,” Blues coach Ryan McNish said.

“Although we didn’t get the points, I thought the boys were fairly gallant to come out after half-time and play the way we did against a side that has bullied us for the past 10 years.”

Daniel Lloyd slotted four goals for the Blues, who named youngster Sani Egan their best player.

“Sani is an electric player… off the half-back line he gets a lot of the footy, uses it really well and has explosive pace,” McNish said.

“He’s a really good decision-maker and we need to be getting as much of the ball as we can into the hands of those players who make the right decisions under pressure.”

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