Bulldogs brush off Eagles

by Davyd Reid
Bunyip are in the box seat to secure the final spot in the Ellinbank District football top five, with a 10-goal haul helping the Bulldogs brush aside Ellinbank.
Wearing their indigenous guernseys for their indigenous round and adopting their traditional name Buneep, the Bulldogs kicked away from an Eagles side still experiencing availability challenges to win 18-9 (117) to 6-8 (44).
Ellinbank entered the clash with five changes and missing some experience with Michael Urie and coach Brandon McDonald amongst their outs.
With a more favourable draw than seventh-placed Lang Lang, it puts the Bulldogs in the box seat to clinch fifth in what has been a much improved season.
Ellinbank started well with good transition through Logan Joyce and Sam Curtain to find Ben Dixon for the opener.
The Bulldogs would take control from there, adding seven consecutive goals to create a buffer.
Wareham made good of his second opportunity to put one through as he found space out the back to get the Bulldogs moving.
Brad Cavalot found Wareham for a long goal from 50 metres before William Grummisch was rewarded for a nice leap to convert the goal from 35 metres.
Kai Jones found Wareham for his third as the Bulldogs entered the first change with a 19-point lead.
Lenny Clark got on the end of a pass from Jack Blakey as the Bulldogs continued the charge in the second term.
The hot hand of Wareham added the next two goals, a big haul looming ominously as he put through his fifth.
Ryan Atherton found the response in a competitive patch for the Eagles.
But it was the Bulldogs to score next as Brayden Weller took advantage of no man on the mark to put through a long goal.
The young and fast forwards were proving troublesome for the Ellinbank defence, as the Bulldogs put through their ninth.
The Eagles found Joyce inside 50 for a goal before some luck for the Bulldogs, with Wareham awarded a mark on the siren and putting through the goal.
Ellinbank officials approached the umpires, arguing the mark had been taken after the siren, which only resulted in the Ellinbank runner being sent off.
It was a lucky ball for Ellinbank to begin the third quarter as Curtain made front position to mark a long kick from Tony Wright.
Blakey found Wareham in front for the response before Tim Henschell came up as one of several options from the turnover.
Cavalot linked up with Wareham again as he steered through his eighth.
Oliver Ockwell-Payne had been kept quiet but put his set shot through straight with Blakey rewarded for all his link up work with a goal off his left.
Wareham, Ned Ashton, Xavier Kinder, Jeb McLeod, Lachlan Watson and Jack Alexander had also been prominent in setting up the 69-point lead.
Alex Olsen, Atherton, Damien Lawrence, Joyce, Dixon and Curtain were the better players for Ellinbank.
The Eagles battled it out as they put through two of the next three goals, punctuated by a mark on the last line to Ockwell-Payne.
The Bulldogs would cap the game with two quick goals from Wareham, his 10th coming from a quick short lead to begin the celebrations.