By RUSSELL BENNETT
ELLINBANK AND DISTRICT FOOTBALL LEAGUE
REVIEW – ROUND 15
THE BULLDOGS haven’t lost since their 2 May clash with the Dusties at The Kennel way back in Round 4. Their ferocity at the contest has been a constant since, as has their irresistible outside run.
While they lost to Cora Lynn in Round 3, they could yet be the side to push the Cobras to the brink or even knock them off – and the key lies in their depth.
The improvement in their big men stocks, which was a perceived area of weakness in the pre-season, has been a clear standout and on the weekend Bernie Jones and Clay Simpson – in for his first senior game of the season – were hugely influential against Lyrebirds champion Matt Gray.
But it was who the Bulldogs were missing that made the win over last season’s EDFL East premiers all the more impressive. Make no mistake, despite going down to the Dogs by 37 points – 14.7 (91) to 8.6 (54) – Buln Buln is still one of the sides to beat.
But Bunyip was missing three big-name leaders – Michael Whyte, Brent Heus and player-coach Brad Walker – to injury on Saturday and instead of wilting under the pressure, the boys from Bunyip lifted to the task; discovering a couple of gems in the process. The battle between Jones and Simpson, and Gray in the ruck was one of Saturday’s real highlights. Gray still had a huge impact around the ground, but Jones in particular took the centre bounce battle right up to him. While the ground was sticky under foot, much of the day was more akin to dry-weather footy and for a multitude of different reasons, this was one of the season’s most intriguing battles to date.
Jeb McLeod was sensational all day, as was Jack Blakey (four goals) in a telling first half for the Bulldogs who needed potential leaders to stand up. The hulking frame of Adam Rakip also wrought havoc in Bunyip’s forward half – attacking every contest with a real fierceness, while Lachlan Petch was stellar again deep in defence. But Daniel Wright was just as impressive – refusing to take a backward step at the coal face against some of Buln’s most accomplished and aggressive ball-winners.
Mitch Nobelius (two goals) threatened to blow the game wide open at one stage in the third quarter when his side roared back from 28 points down at half-time to within 10. But, stunningly, the Lyrebirds called for a head count … which backfired. From Buln having possession on centre wing, the ball was handed over to Bulldogs skipper Nathan Lieshout who slotted a long goal just inside 50.
The undermanned Bulldogs’ response when pushed in that term was arguably the most impressive facet of their win.
“We’re very similar sides, us and Buln – it’s very dog-eat-dog,” said Walker after the game.
“We just won the inside ball early in the piece.”
It’s little surprise how similar the two sides are – given Walker’s old Garfield nemesis from recent grand finals, Brent Eastwell, is at the helm of the Lyrebirds. They both attack the game with many of the same traits – not least of which is a ruthless attack on the Sherrin.
Walker was a late withdrawal after pulling his hamstring on Thursday night, and won’t rush back prior to the finals unless he’s fully fit. But judging by his side’s performance on Saturday, he won’t have to.
“I don’t think the streak has given us the belief we’ve got now as a group,” he said.
“I think that we feel like we’ve worked hard enough that we’ll be able to finish off games.
“That’s not to say that we don’t need to work a little bit harder, because coming into finals it goes up another level.
“But we don’t want to be a side that runs out of legs in that last quarter and that’s always been that number one thing for us – to never fall out of a game. You never want to wonder what might’ve been because you’ve run out of legs.”
After the game, Walker told his playing group that Saturday was “by far” his proudest as Bulldogs coach.
“It was just a fantastic win – we had our two vice captains out, our coach out and for every single one of you to step up today and play the way you did, and bounce back when they got a run on I couldn’t be more proud as a coach.”
Click below for three videos from Saturday – Lieshout’s goal after the Lyrebirds called for a head count; the Bulldogs singing the team song; and Walker’s post-match address.
