Bundoora remain in the hunt for a double chance finish in the Melbourne Greyhounds Division 1 competition, after a huge 51-point win over Greensborough at Greensborough War Memorial Park.
While fighting for their own spot in the top five, Greensborough lacked the eagerness and desire to take the Bulls by their horns all throughout the first half, allowing Bundoora to execute a gameplan that saw them kick an incredible eight goals to nil in the opening quarter.
Although the Boro would improve as the game went on, the lead would be too much to overcome, as the visitors maintained the rage long enough to finish 14.17 (101) to 7.8 (50) victors.
Michael Ryan’s men remain level on points with third placed North Heidelberg, and while the 51-point margin boosted their percentage, they’re still 12 percent behind the Bulldogs.
Greensborough meanwhile missed another chance to jump into the top five and still sit two points away from Hurstbridge in fifth position.
Hamish Shepheard had a day out after he was placed in the forward pocket for the Bulls. He went on to boot seven majors in dominant fashion that helped separate his side from any threat of a trailing margin.
Sam Lloyd continued his elite season with two goals that accompanied stellar performances from Jedd Longmire and Nathan Thomas, who steered the composure of a side that came out looking the part for finals.
The Boro were able to find a spark out of captain Jack Johnston once again, with the defender using his consistent and powerful kick to help clear the ball away from scoring threats.
Zac Hart, Harrison Andronaco and Ben Pannam were among the hosts best on the day, after showcasing their explosive play that opened the ground up to those around them.
From the first bounce, the Bulls looked to attack up the middle, with Ben Young and Kain Proctor kicking a goal each after finding the better end of Sam Lloyd forward 50 entries.
Hamish Shepheard would quickly make his presence known up forward, after standing tall to mark every kick that came his way, booting three majors in the span of 10 minutes for a 33-point lead.
The goal-kicking party would continue for Bundoora through Liam Malia who kicked true from set distance, before Shepheard would follow in with his fourth of the afternoon in similar fashion.
The Boro were simply being outworked in contests and outplayed around the ground, with their execution of certain kicks falling flat and causing turnovers that quickly turned into scores.
Matthew Evans would cement a flawless opening quarter for the Bulls, leading for a mark and slotting a major, pushing the margin to 53-points at the first break.
Signs of Boro life would finally be shown in the second quarter, as a snap from Harrison Andronaco, went between the big sticks for his side’s first goal of the game.
The momentum would be snuffed out by a Lloyd goal, but Andronaco would continue to impress, after selling some candy on the boundary and snapping in thunderous fashion to keep the game barely within reach.
However, Shepheard was not done yet and would showcase his talent by fending off a defender from a tackle, giving him enough space to dribble kick truly from 20 meters out setting a 57-point margin for his side.
His seventh and final goal of the game would come from a bend on the boundary, ending the first half with a massive 65-point lead for the Bulls.
Saade Ghazi’s side would need a monumental third term to get back into the match and they would get off to a good start from an unlikely source, as a move to the forward 50 for key defender Angus Sievers had an immediate impact, with the 19-year-old kicking his first major of the season.
But again, the Lloyd and Shepheard combination could not be stopped, with Lloyd kicking inside to Shepheard who handballed back to Lloyd for a major on the run and a 64-point lead.
Daniel Ferronato showed off his goal-kicking prowess with two majors to both end the third and start the fourth quarter.
Both sides exchanged late goals, but the damage was done in a scintillating opening half which saw Bundoora finish 51-point winners.
