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READ MORE - Dragons cull Roos in 102-point demolition
SOUTH Bendigo's re-emergence in the Bendigo league continues to gather momentum, with the Bloods now 4-0 after outplaying Gisborne by 25 points at the QEO on Saturday.
Having been starved of finals action since 2012, the Bloods have been the early-season surprise packets and are laying a strong foundation in which to launch a September return.
Nathan Horbury's side is playing with confidence and belief and now has two significant scalps under its belt, with Saturday's 16.7 (103) to 11.12 (78) victory over Gisborne coming a fortnight after the Bloods' one-point win over Eaglehawk.
Equally telling for the Bloods is they have beaten both the Bulldogs and Hawks on the QEO, proving their brand of football stands up on the only ground that matters come September.
"We said before the game that if we believe in what we do, our structures and our character then we can match it with the better sides of the competition," Bloods coach Horbury said.
"I think we've got pretty good character off the back of two good wins over the past two weeks (against Kyneton and Eaglehawk).
"We stuck to our structures really well today and came through with the goods."
We said before the game that if we believe in what we do, our structures and our character then we can match it with the better sides of the competition
- Nathan Horbury - South Bendigo coach
While the final margin ended up 25 points, the Bloods' advantage did get out to as high as 42 points during the final term in front of a crowd that featured many of the club's premiership stars of yesteryear on what was a big reunion day for South Bendigo.
The Bloods forced the Bulldogs to play catch-up football after kicking four of the first five goals of the game in the opening 22 minutes to apply early scoreboard heat to the visitors.
It was clear from early in the game that Bloods' star forward Kaiden Antonowicz was going to pose a major headache for the Bulldogs.
Antonowicz kicked the Bloods' first three goals - all from set-shots - as he was able to benefit from some slick delivery inside 50.
Antonowicz ended the game with six goals from eight shots to take his season tally to 14.
Having kicked four goals to two in the opening quarter to lead by 14 points at the first break, the Bloods did the same again in the second term.
While the Bulldogs had the upper hand in the centre square, they were unable to reap the benefits as the Bloods' backline led by Zac Hare, Daniel Nalder, Cameron Taggert, Andrew Van Heumen and co was outstanding in applying pressure and clearing.
But it wasn't just the back half where the Bloods' pressure was strong, they applied tackling heat all over the ground, with Horbury saying it went to another level on the previous three weeks.
The Bloods' advantage was 26 points at half-time, 8.5 to 4.3, with the challenge having been squarely laid down to the Bulldogs.
There were promising signs of a revival early in the third quarter for the Bulldogs, with the ball spending the majority of the first 15 minutes in their front half at the Barnard Street end.
However, the Bulldogs weren't able to make the most of their forward opportunities, kicking 1.3, which included a poster to the lively Josh Kemp.
That got the Bulldogs back within 17 points, but it would be the closest they'd get for the remainder of the game as in a sign of the Bloods' growing maturity, they were able to soak up Gisborne's threatening run and then counter-attack.
The Bloods closed out the quarter kicking four of the last five goals to open a 35-point buffer at the final change.
Gun South Bendigo recruit Sunny Brazier provided two pieces of play during the third quarter that showcased his X-factor capabilities.
Firstly, he floated across the front of a pack midway through the quarter to take a strong contested mark and then converted the set-shot at a time when the Bulldogs had some momentum.
Then 10 minutes later he nailed the goal of the day when from 45m outside the boundary on the timekeepers flank, he brilliantly threaded a set-shot goal. Brazier kicked three for the match and was among the Bloods' best players.
Wingman Oscar White also produced a third-quarter highlight for the Bloods when he intercepted a bouncing ball and kicked a left-foot checkside goal - one of his two for the game.
The Bulldogs did manage to outscore the Bloods 5.5 to 4.1 in the final quarter, but the damage had been well and truly done as when the game was there to be won, it was South Bendigo that stood up and delivered.
As well as Brazier, the Bloods also named Tom Brereton, who laid some big tackles, defenders Nalder, who had the big job on Gisborne forward Jack Scanlon, and Taggert and Antonowicz among their better players.
Gisborne's standout player was clearly midfielder Brad Bernacki, who battled manfully in the clinches and also slotted a set-shot goal in the first quarter.
Fellow on-ballers Flynn Lakey and the experienced Scott Walsh and ruckman Braidon Blake were others to figure in the best for the Bulldogs, while Scanlon kicked three goals - all in the second half.
Among Sam Graham's two goals for the Bulldogs was a massive 55m set-shot in the final quarter that carried the distance easily.
The 25-point loss leaves Gisborne at 2-2.
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