Yarragon v Buln Buln
Three weeks ago, Buln were struggling without a win, but fast forward another three weeks and they’re knocking on the door of fifth.
The Lyrebirds claimed their third win in a row over Yarragon on Saturday in a 13.12 (90) to 8.11 (59) victory.
It took some time for both teams to settle in the perfect conditions, a stark contrast to the wind and rain faced last weekend before Sam Langford led out of the square to mark and goal to open the account for Buln.
Not to be outmatched, Yarragon full forward Tom Dovaston took a strong contested grab in front of goal and the game was well underway.
Yarragon were able to cause turnovers in the middle of the ground in the first quarter, but Lex Wright was able to bob up in the pocket to snap one through for Buln, as coach Michael Kreun limped off the field with a hamstring injury. He didn’t return.
Buln weren’t able to crack Yarragon in the second quarter. Tyler Hotchkin received a downfield free for a high shot, one he made no mistake in front of goal as the Panthers loomed large, driven by some brilliant play from their halfbacks.
Lachy Shaw and Tom Follett were racing out of the defensive half for Yarragon, testing the Buln structure, but going inside 50 proved to be a problem that continued all afternoon.
After having much of the play, a turnover forced by Langford saw Buln roll through in a wave with Wright finishing off the good work with his second. The Lyrebirds went into halftime leading by 21 points, Yarragon made to pay for their misses in front of goal.
Matt Gray was dominant and that continued in the third term, his work behind the ball just as good as his work in the ruck, cutting off any long kicks down the line. His intercept mark set up another Langford goal, his third, as the Lyrebirds looked to skip away.
Yarragon were up for the fight however and when Matt Adair goaled after some terrific forward pressure the margin was just 16 points as the final change approached, Yarragon sensing they had a chance at their first win this year.
Coach Brad Wheller brought his group in tight and told them not to drop off, to stick to their structures and keep biting off the 45-degree kick to break through the Buln line.
However, it was Buln who got the best of term, with Reece Campbell roosting home a 50-metre bomb to spark his Lyrebirds into action and when Gray rested forward, he was able to get some reward, booting two in the final term to stretch the margin beyond 40 points.
A late fightback from Yarragon wasn’t enough, and despite goals from young Josh Smith-Butterworth, Daniel Burke and Devon Pollock, they weren’t able to get themselves back in the game. What they did do however, is make the margin one that was more indicative of the contest.
Coach Brad Wheller said there has been improvement, but the side’s first quarters have been their downfall.
“The positive was the boys stuck at the game, we know what we are trying to work on, but obviously it’s going to take time, it’s a new group, young group, but saying that, we just need a win,” Wheller said.
The side have worked on a lot since beginning the season and have shown improvement, with Wheller explaining they just need to sharpen up on a few things.
“It was just the lack of the quality link up from midfield to forward, we probably potentially didn’t make the right decisions either, we didn’t look for that switch and we went long down the line to where Gray was,” Wheller said.
The young guys in the side have impressed Wheller, with Lachlan Shaw, Tom Follett and Devon Pollock now working into the season and taking the next step up.
“We have the nucleus for a really good side, it’s just a matter of building a couple of these younger fellas up,” Wheller said.
Dean Fitzgerald was best on ground, while Harrison Perry, Dev Pollock, Lachlan Shaw, Declan O’Donnell and Sam Van Der Zalm all turned in terrific efforts, with Tom Dovaston the only multiple goal kicker on the day.
Buln have now seen themselves level the ledger at 3-3 and assistant coach Brent Eastwell said the win was one that showed the changes they have implemented lately.
“I think there’s been a bit of a movement in the game style we’ve played. We probably overused the footy a bit much and turned it over in dangerous spots early.
“The forwards looked dangerous today and that was good, but who knows if Yarragon had kicked better early on, it might have been different,” Eastwell said.
Sam Langford and Adam Rakip were big contributors up forward with a change in structure allowing them to lead up into dangerous positions against the Panthers.
“It was probably about our half forwards getting out a bit higher on the ground to create the space, optically it looked really good today,” Eastwell said.
Langford booted three, with Rakip, Lex Wright and Matt Gray all booting two.
Gray was a clear best on ground, dominating all afternoon in the ruck before pushing forward late to hit the scoreboard, with Langford, Reece Campbell, Brent Waddell, James Fowler and Rakip rounding out the best.
Eastwell said the win was one that had seen the side gel well as the middle part of the season approaches.
“Even in our defeats, our wingers and backs have been really good, and it was just shaping up the ball movement and that seems to be getting better, it’s a positive and if we can keep the momentum going it will be good,” Eastwell said.
Buln will take on Neerim Neerim South in a big clash at home, while Yarragon will face Catani.
