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A SECOND-term onslaught proved the catalyst for Sandhurst getting back on the BFNL winner's list against Kangaroo Flat on Saturday.
Sandhurst booted eight of its 18 goals for the match during the second quarter in what was an 18.11 (119) to 8.8 (56) victory at Dower Park that has cut the Dragons' gap to the top five back to one game.
The Dragons' second quarter blitz came after the underdog Roos had competed strongly in the first term, but, as has often been the case this year against teams above them on the ladder, a lapse proved costly.
After the Dragons led by 11 points at quarter-time, 3.2 to 1.3, the floodgates opened during the second term.
With Lachie Hood, Harvey Gallagher and Jeremy Rodi leading the charge from the middle, the Dragons' running game clicked into gear as they upped the ante and took their chances in attack.
The Dragons booted 8.3 for the quarter to blow the game open while the Roos could muster just 1.3 - their sole goal kicked by Brodie Fry - in a bitterly disappointing term after competing so well in the first.
The Dragons had a half-time score of 11.5 on the board, with 11 different players having kicked goals as the visitors shared the ball well inside 50.
Among the first-half goalkickers for the Dragons was Bendigo Pioneers captain Gallagher, who played a brilliant game as a timely inclusion given the Sandhurst engine room was missing captain Lee Coghlan, Noah Walsh and Blair Holmes.
The Sandhurst lead got out to 61 points five minutes into the third quarter after a goal to forward/ruckman Connor Sexton and at that stage the Dragons looked headed for a triple-figure winning margin.
However, the Roos responded with their most productive period of the game when over the last 20 minutes of the quarter they kicked six goals to two.
Integral in the Roos gaining some momentum was strong-marking forward Lachlan Wilson, who booted four of the goals and finished with five for the match.
The Roos got back within 36 points at three quarter-time, but much like the second term were unable to keep the pressure on as the Dragons finished the game with 4.3 to 0.0 in the last to run out 63-point winners and beat Kangaroo Flat for the 20th-consecutive time.
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