Bundoora have made a massive statement in the Melbourne Greyhounds Division 1 competition, after defeating Montmorency by 39 points in impressive fashion at Yulong Reserve.
It was a tale of effort versus execution from two of the league’s best sides. The Magpies had the better end of the possession difference, while the Bulls controlled the tempo more often and were able to link up their midfield and forward line seamlessly on many occasions.
It allowed Bundoora to form a 9.16 (70) to 4.7 (31) victory in front of their home fans.
The third placed Bulls are now just one game behind the second placed Magpies but more importantly, are now eight points clear of Greensborough in sixth spot.
Meanwhile Montmorency’s 10-game unbeaten streak has come to an end and are a now game and a half behind top of the table Heidelberg.
Bundoora star Sam Lloyd was the man of the moment throughout, snapping six majors in blistering fashion to swing the momentum all the way toward his side.
While in the midfield, the pairing of Ben McNiece and Luke Collins poised many problems for the opposition, continously charging out from one of Hamish Shepheard’s many ruck contests wins, only helping to enforce the big man’s stellar game around the ground.
For the Magpies, Ben Paterson was a consistent spark on the field with his accurate kicking, while Connor Kane played numerous positions excellently around the ground that gave his side much needed dynamic.
Other key contributions came from the likes of Joshua Mills, Liam McMahon and Patrick Fitzgerald, who helped win the majority of possessions for the Magpies, but without their star ruckman in Liam Wale-Buxton, the visitors struggled to control the key areas of the game that saw them draw with Heidelberg last week.
The standard for scoring was set early in the match by Lloyd, who managed to snag two majors from set shot distance in the opening ten minutes of the game.
But the Magpies were able to respond quickly with a chain of kicks that fell into the hands of Patrick Fitzgerald, who thumped the shot on goal from 40-metres out to reduce the margin to within a goal.
With minutes remaining in a quarter where the two sides looked about even, Lloyd would come charging down the forward line to snatch his third of the term and give the Bulls an 11-point lead at the break.
Ryan Sturgess placed more heat on the scoreboard, by opening the second quarter with a thunderous snap around the body to push the lead further for the Bulls.
Lloyd then continued his stellar form by snapping from the boundary for a goal, followed by being the beneficiary of another one by sneaking out the pack and slotting the ball through the big sticks.
With the Bulls lead stretched out to 29 points, Neville Jetta helped make sure it would stay that way by dominating the term and disrupting the Magpies attack that set his side’s control of the ball well.
The quarter ending in the same fashion as the one prior, with Lloyd finding the ball right in front of the goal square to snap his sixth of the first half.
Heading into the second half, the Bulls ability to find targets inside-50 went untouched as Sturgess kicked true for a goal that signalled the biggest lead of the game at 47 points.
However, Jono Manzoney’s men weren’t giving up anytime soon with a whole half left to play and found the start of the momentum shift they needed thanks to a goal from Liam McMahon.
The Magpie flock followed with more majors coming from the league’s leading goal-scorer in Fitzgerald, who kicked two majors that reduced the lead to 30-points.
But it was the Bulls who had the last say of the term, with a set shot conversion from Jedd Longmire halting any panic from the home crowd.
With a comfortable lead of 35 points heading into the last term, Bundoora were happy to let the final term play out.
Both sides were locked in standstill with neither one separating themselves from the other in a match that was now played under wet conditions.
It would be reflected on the scoreboard in a goalless quarter for both teams, allowing the Bulls to maintain their lead and hold on for a 39-point victory.
