Bundoora have responded to a three-game losing streak in the Northern Football Netball League Division 1 competition, with an impressive 53-point win over Hurstbridge at Ben Frilay Oval.
The Bulls came out firing from the opening bounce and didn’t look back, with a display of football that broke down the Bridges’ defensive structures and left them scrambling for answers up the field. A dominant effort saw the visitors produce a 15.22 (112) to 9.5 (59) victory.
Hamish Shepheard was the main bull for Bundoora on the day, dominating the middle of the ground while aiding in some of his team’s many forward entries.
The backline pressure applied by Jackson Davies and Isaac McMillan shut down Hurstbridge up forward, allowing Daniel Younan and Zane Barker to impose their will on the game.
While for the hosts, Blake Fitzgerald became a common distributor of excellence, with his play of the footy sparking momentum for a side that struggled to build on any throughout the day.
Cooper Barbera was another standout with his prolific kicking, along with Jake Richards and Christopher McCabe, among the best.
Bailey Jordan would draw the first score for Hurstbridge, who snapped truly.
After a barrage of Bundoora misses, Kain Proctor was the one to finally breakthrough for a goal with his snap, fuelling momentum for Peter McEvoy and the returning Sam Lloyd to follow with a goal each in a set shot fashion that pushed the lead to 19-points.
Joel Naylor would respond with a major for Hurstbridge that kept them within 14 points heading into the second term.
The Bulls continued to disrupt the opposing contests and capitalise on them, as Jesse King would kick two goals in the opening 10 minutes to extend their advantage to 36 points.
Hurstbridge struggled to connect their chain of kicks up the ground, with one Christopher McCabe major all that Joel Cordwell’s men could show on the scoreboard in the second quarter.
The quick play of Bundoora in the forward line became the main influence of goals from Zane Barker, Kyle Green and Daniel Younan, who lifted the margin to 49-points at the main break.
Younan picked up the third term where he ended the second as he produced goal number two to kickstart Bundoora’s charge. Green’s explosiveness around the ball paid off with a side snap that snuck in for a goal just moments later.
McCabe would again break the scoring drought for Hurstbridge with his goal, but Green would respond in dribble-kick fashion for his third of the game, squashing any potential opposing momentum in the process.
Lloyd would close the term out with a goal from a set shot that marked a game-high 70-point lead at three-quarter time for Michael Ryan’s side.
The Bridges were determined to regain respectability on the scoreboard in the final term. They would kick five consecutive goals to start the last quarter to suddenly reduce the deficit to 41 points.
William Cookson would follow as he kicked true from a set shot to reduce the lead to 41 points.
With the siren fast approaching, Bundoora found a pair of goals through Jack Maruff and Liam Kolar to solidify a 54-point victory.
SENIORS
HURSTBRIDGE: 2.2 3.4 5.4 9.5 (59)
GOALS: Christopher McCabe 3, Bailey Jordan, Cooper Barbera, Nicholas McColl, William Cookson, Mitchell Wild, Joel Naylor.
BEST: Blake Fitzgerald, Cooper Barbera, Jake Richards, Christopher McCabe, Mitchell Moschetti.
BUNDOORA: 3.9 9.17 13.20 15.22 (112)
GOALS: Kyle Green 3, Daniel Younan 2, Jesse King 2, Liam Kolar 2, Sam Lloyd 2, Jack Maruff, Peter McEvoy, Zane Barker, Kain Proctor.
BEST: Hamish Shepheard, Zane Barker, Nathan Phillips, Isaac McMillan, Jackson Davies, Daniel Younan.
RESERVES
HURSTBRIDGE: 4.3 5.4 11.9 19.9 (123)
GOALS: Trent Barbero 9, Caelan Anderson 4, Joshua Harris 2, M. Glynn 2, James Brooker, Liam Middleton.
BEST: Trent Barbero, Liam Middleton, Caelan Anderson, Joshua Harris, Mitchell Wold.
BUNDOORA: 2.0 5.3 6.6 9.10 (64)
GOALS: Bryce Barnes-Sanderson 4, Kyle Wheatley 3, Mitchell Antonello, James Sekulovski.
BEST: Matthew Evans, Bryce Barnes-Sanderson, James Sekulovski, Mitchell Antonello, Hayden Bolzon, James Mefflin.
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