Bundoora pulled off a massive victory against Whittlesea in Round 3 of Meadows Greyhounds Division 1, with Sam Lloyd putting on an imposing display in a 75-point thrashing at Yulong Reserve.
It was a masterclass from start to finish in the 16.15 (111) to 5.6 (36) result, with Bundoora having the game sewn up at the half time siren, following a nine-goal to three first half.
The Eagles did display patches of promise, particularly in the second quarter when they kicked two on the trot, but the game was dominated in every aspect by the charging Bulls.
In his first home game for Bundoora, Sam Lloyd was by far the best player on the ground, kicking eight goals.
His performance included two goal of the year contenders from the pocket, as well as high-flying mark early in the game for a mark of the year contender.
There were also some handy performances from Kyle Green, Nathan Howard and David Mitchell, with Mitchell often kickstarting attack from defence and Howard doing brilliantly in the ruck when Bundoora rested Hamish Shepheard in the second half.
Jesse King was also lively up forward for the Bulls, with the young forward adding to his two goals last week with four this weekend.
Xavier Dimasi was yet again the best player for Whittlesea, racking up many clearances and quality disposals for an undermanned Eagles side.
Starting off on a cool and sunny autumn’s day, the Bulls piled on goals early, kicking away to a 29-point lead heading into the quarter time break, courtesy of quick rebound off their backline.
With new coach Michael Ryan urging his play to keep their intensity up, the Bulls managed to extend their lead to 47 points at the main break.
It was then the Sam Lloyd show truly started. As the rain started pelting down early in the third quarter, the ex-Bulldog and Tiger kicked two goals in a minute and went on to have six majors by three quarter time.
It was a more sedate final quarter, with only three goals kicked in the term, two of those belonging to Lloyd – to take his tally to eight goals.
Bundoora coach Michael Ryan said he was rapt with the club’s second-consecutive win but “were under no illusions that Whittlesea were a bit undermanned” following their Round 2 loss to Heidelberg.
Ryan was also thrilled with the performance of Lloyd, believing it could be the catalyst for a big season ahead.
“The first two games he’d done plenty of things right but was playing more selfless. And today it was just really good for him to just get off the chain and get eight,” Ryan said.
The Bulls coach was also impressed with Nathan Howard’s performance in the second half, along with the games of Jesse King, Isaac McMillan and Ben Young.
“I thought Ben Young and Isaac McMillan did a really sound job across that half-back line,” he said.
“We’ve got a really talented half-back line and we want to try and be as aggressive as possible off that line and I think the boys have done a good job so far.”
There are a few injury concerns heading into next week for each side, with James Sekulovski going down for Bundoora, whilst Whittlesea might potentially lose Brody Bell.
Bundoora will face the in-form Heidelberg at Yulong Reserve, whilst Whittlesea face a tough test against West-Preston Lakeside at J.E. Moore Park.
Final score: Bundoora 16.15 (111) def Whittlesea 5.6 (36)
BUNDOORA
Goal Kickers: S. Lloyd 8, J. King 4, K. Green, J. Jorgensen, T. Keating, N. Thomas
Best Players: S. Lloyd, J. King, B. Thompson, I. McMillan, K. Green, T. Brown
WHITTLESEA
Goal Kickers: S. Indian, C. Bland, S. Peet, N. Pupillo, M. Andrews
Best Players: X. Dimasi, B. Watson, M. Andrews, J. Eid, B. Fitzgerald, M. Dyson
