Bundoora produced an excellent display to topple Montmorency by 22 points in their Melbourne Greyhounds Division 1 qualifying final preview at Montmorency Park North Oval.
In a game that was mostly neck-to-neck, it was the Bulls who demonstrated the consistency to take the game into their hands through quick scoring runs and on-ball pressure which ultimately made way for their 10.12 (72) to 16.8 (104) victory.
The Bulls’ attack was charged by the midfield with ruck Hamish Shepheard’s dominance creating opportunities for Luke Collins and Sam Lloyd to display their excellence around the ground.
Forward John Jorgenson made the most of rapid inside 50 entries, kicking a game-high six goals to support an already stellar goal-kicking season.
Magpies skipper Sam Binion made sure his side kept the game within reach, along with solid performances from Mitchell Honeychurch and Liam Wale-Buxton, while Port Melbourne VFL listed player Marcus Lentini shone in just his second game for Montmorency this season.
Both sides now sit on 48 points with two games remaining of the 2022 home and away season, meaning these sides will likely meet each other again in a qualifying final in three weeks’ time.
The scoreboard showed favour to the Magpies early, with Honeychurch and Jordan Steele kicking the opening goals of the match.
Flashes of what was to come was shown by the Bulls, with Kyle Green snapping on the run from the boundary for a goal that was followed in quick fashion by Jorgenson’s first of the afternoon.
A Magpie midfield then looked toward setting up forward Connor Dalgleish for two set-shot goals that would give his side an 11-point lead heading into the first break.
Benjamin Crick ensured his superb work early in the term reflected on the scoreboard, recovering the ball off the ground for a snap at goal that continued the Magpies scoring streak.
But Michael Ryan’s side looked to take control of the game in blistering fashion through an eight-goal to four quarter that kicked off with two majors from Jackson Bowne along with one each from Jai Burns, Green and Lloyd.
First-gamer Joel Fitzgerald registered his first goal for Bundoora and the kicked a second not long afterwards to extend the margin. It accompanied a stellar game where he would be among the Bulls’ best.
The Magpies could simply not shutter the fast-paced entries into the 50 in comparison to the interceptive work that the Bulls displayed which laid the groundwork for the team’s composure.
Playing his 250th club game, Patrick Fitzgerald would kick half of the Magpies goals for the second term with two, while Jorgensen kicked his third to emphasis a Bull dominant term that gave them a 3-point lead at half time.
Coming out of the main break, the Bulls would show no signs of slowing down through a goal from Bowne that marked his third on the day, paving the way for two more majors by Jorgenson.
Jesse King would follow suite in the goal-kicking streak before Jorgenson would snap the ball between the posts to cap off his six-goal game and as a result, give his side a game-high 33-point lead.
The Magpies were able to see their first and only goal of the quarter come from skipper Binion, with their momentum being taken out by Green’s third goal of the game to end the quarter.
The Bulls’ consistency steered them away from losing any form throughout, in what was a low scoring final quarter that saw King kick his second goal and Luke Collins kick his first.
Chances came for the Magpies through eight scoring shots, but only converting on three of them allowed the Bulls to maintain a lead which by the final sire, became a 22-point victory.
