Boro ruthless to the end

Greensborough continued its dominant start to the Meadows Greyhounds Division 1 season with a crushing 73-point triumph over Bundoora in Round 6.

The Boro trailed by 11 points late in the opening term but conceded just one goal thereafter in the 15.17 (107) to 4.10 (34) victory at War Memorial Park.

The result kept Greensborough atop the ladder – one game and percentage clear of both Heidelberg and North Heidelberg, ahead of a mouth-watering clash against the Bulldogs next week.

Midfielders Tom Bell, John Desmond and Chris Clark were all prolific, while Brody Tickell was dangerous in attack and finished with a game-high three goals.

Nick Riddle and Jack Johnston were at times impenetrable in defence, while Billy Bedford claimed one of his biggest scalps by keeping Gary Moorcroft goalless.

Nick Beames was forced to do much of the ruckwork after first-choice ruckman Liam Read went down with a knee injury in the first term. While Bundoora star Matty Dennis won many ruck contests, Beames competed well and was able to take several strong marks.

Brenton Keating was a standout in defence for Bundoora and was clearly the Bulls best. Dennis and Andrew Sturgess worked hard against the tide, while Ben Young performed well in his first game after returning from a serious knee injury.

Kicking into a severe wind in the opening quarter didn’t deter the ladder-leader, with Greensborough booting the opening two goals via Ben Fennell and Read.

Fennell’s was an outstanding snap from the pocket, while Read converted after a strong mark inside 50 to give the home side the early advantage.

Nathan Thomas, Sturgess and Dale Marshall then began finding plenty of the football as Bundoora managed to wrestle momentum away from the Boro.

The Bulls started to dominate the inside 50m count and opened their account when Brod Gray converted a set shot.

Beau Moorcroft put the visitors ahead with a neat effort from deep in the left forward pocket, before Thomas extended the advantage to 11 points when he made it three goals in six minutes.

Tickell was able to cut the deficit to five points with a goal from close range in the final minute of the quarter.

Given the strength of the breeze Bundoora was kicking with, Tickell’s goal meant the home side took the points from the opening term despite trailing at the first break.

Josh Callaway booted a miraculous goal in the opening minute of the second quarter and from there the game belonged solely to Greensborough.

Goals to Desmond, Bell and Mitch Merkell followed soon after as the Boro stretched their lead to 20 points at 10-minute mark of the quarter.

Greensborough locked their ball in the attacking half for the remainder of the term but couldn’t add another major. The Boro often attacked from the dead pocket and kicked six consecutive behinds to take a 25-point lead into half time.

Bundoora needed to take advantage of the wind in the third term if it was to have any chance of scoring a come-from-behind win. However, it was Greensborough who again did all the attacking, despite not kicking to the scoring end.

Tickell and James Love each kicked two goal for the term as the Boro tore the game wide open with frenetic pressure and outstanding skills by foot and hand.

The Bulls were kept goalless for the second consecutive quarter – adding just three behinds across the second and third terms.

Scott Dowell finally broke the goal-drought in the third minute of the fourth quarter when he kicked a goal on the run following an impressive coast-to-coast transition – making it the Bulls’ first major since the 23-minute mark of the first quarter.

However, the goal did nothing to halt Greensborough – who displayed a ruthlessness right until the final siren.

The Boro piled on another four goals in the final term to stretch the difference to 73 points. The win improved their club’s averaging winning to 67 points across the opening six rounds.

Final score: Greensborough 15.17 (107) def Bundoora 4.10 (34)

GREENSBOROUGH

Goal Kickers: B. Tickell 3, T. Bell 2, J. Love 2, J. Johnston, D. Marcon, Z. McCubbin, L. Read, M. Haynes, B. Fennell, J. Callaway, M. Merkel
Best Players: C. Clark, N. Beames, J. Desmond, N. Riddle, J. Johnston, B. Tickell