Southern Bombers bombard ‘Dees
Written by Hamish Spence.
Lauderdale have continued their strong 2019 campaign with a dominant 61-point win over North Hobart at Skybus Oval.
The Southern Bombers put the Demons to the sword in the final quarter, booting seven goals to run away as 16.14 (110) to 6.11 (47) winners.
North Hobart were competitive, but lacked a genuine target up forward in the absence of Colin Garland.
The game started as an exciting and even contest, with both teams having moments of ascendency.
Lauderdale showed their class and were accurate in front of goal, kicking five goals straight. North Hobart brought heaps of pressure and stayed in touch with the Bombers, trailing by 10-points at quarter time.
Lauderdale started to get on top in the second quarter. They locked the ball inside their forward half and kept North Hobart goalless. The Bombers kicked three goals and missed some opportunities, taking a 31-point lead into half-time.
The third quarter was a sluggish one, with both teams failing to convert their opportunities. North Hobart ultimately won the quarter and had the game on their terms for parts of the quarter. The Dee’s had some momentum after a big goal from Christopher Ransom after the siren, trailing by 26-points at the final break.
Lauderdale stamped their authority early in the last with three quick goals, eliminating any doubt over the result. They went on to kick four more goals for the quarter, including two big bombs from Ethan Whish-Wilson and Nat Franklin from 50.
Ruckman Haydn Smith dominated all day for the Bombers, taking advantage of a smaller opponent in Hugh NJ Williams. He gave his midfield first service and was good in the air with several big marks.
Captain Bryce Walsh was good when he was rotated through the middle and looked lively forward of the ball, finishing with three goals.
Backman Mitchel Anderton was also swung forward in the final quarter and managed to kick three majors.
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Bailey Walker and Matthew Yates were both pillars down back for the ‘Dees. They halved several contests and took big marks as the last line of defence.
Joshua Clifford was moved from the wing to negate the influence of Henry Kerinaiua, who only kicked one more goal for the game. Clifford was involved in several key moments, his best being a desperate run-down tackle on Jacob Gilbee in the goal square, saving a certain goal.
Meanwhile 15-year-old Will Spann showed promise in his senior debut for the club, kicking a goal.
Lauderdale Coach Darren Winter said his team’s game was impacted by North Hobart’s pressure, but was happy with the win.
“It was hard to move the ball the way we would like to, but I suppose we won by 10 goals, so we’ll certainly take a 10 goal win any time.”
He was pleased with the way his team finished in the final quarter.
“We set ourselves a target there to you know finish the game of strongly, move the ball quickly, and I thought they did that probably for the first time for the game in the last quarter,” he said.
Winter and his coaching staff looked to add further potency and versatility to its line-up by throwing players into unfamiliar positions, such as Jacob Gillbee across half back and Mitch Anderton inside 50.
On top of the likes of utilities Ben McGuinness and Alex Hill being moved around from week to week, Winter acknowledges that he wants to give players exposure in different positions in case they are needed to play there later in the season.
“It’s something we’ve been trying to do, play different guys in different positions,” Winter said.
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North Hobart Assistant Coach Aaron Vince was pleased with the way his team performed, despite the final score.
“I thought our effort was really good again,” he said.
Vince commented that the Demons tried to play for a win rather than a close loss in the final term, but that they were unable to overcome the Bombers’ class.
“We tried to roll the dice a bit in the last quarter, because we obviously still want to win games of footy,” he said.
“Obviously their quality shone above and got seven goals in the last quarter to one.”
He said they were hurt by not having a forward target (in the absence of Colin Garland) and missed some opportunities in front of goal.
“It does get frustrating and you can tell the players kind of get frustrated.”
Vince was pleased with the ‘Dees competitiveness, however, after a tough stretch of games.
“I think the turning point was the North Launie game,” he said.
“We know that a win isn’t too far away.”
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The Southern Bombers did suffer an injury blow, however, with utility Edward Trupp – who spent time at centre-half-forward in the win – suffering an injured jaw after an off-the-ball incident.
Winter was diplomatic when asked about the incident on Edward Trupp.
“That will just follow the course it needs to. It’s just very disappointing to have that happen,” he said.
Lauderdale: 5.0, 8.5, 9.10, 16.14. (110)
North Hobart: 3.2, 3.4, 5.8, 6.11. (47)
Goals:
Lauderdale: M. Anderton (3), B. Walsh (3), H. Kerinaiua (2), P. Bellchambers, A. Hill, A. Hevey, J. Gilbee, S. Siggins, A. Saunders, N. Franklin, E. Whish-Wilson
North Hobart: S. Darley, W. Splann, B. Midson, C. Ransom, S. Caswell, S. Cleaver
Up Next:
Lauderdale head to Twin Ovals to play the Tigers at 2:00pm on Saturday.
North Hobart face Launceston away at Windsor Park at 2:00pm on Saturday.
