Bruthen has moved to second on the Omeo District Football Netball League ladder
after comfortably defeating Lindenow
South in round 11 action at the Bruthen
Recreation Reserve.
It was back-to-back wins for the Bulldogs, but it certainly wasn’t doom and gloom for the winless Swampies, who recorded their best score of the season, 11.4-70.
And it was significant improvement on the first time the sides met in round one of the season at the same venue when Lindenow South failed to score and went down by
265 points.
The competition’s leading goalkicker, Jirra Moffatt, was pivotal in the victory kicking
10 goals to take his season’s total to 47. He
leads Omeo Benambra spearhead Cody Graske by 11 goals.
Moffatt went into the game under an injury cloud, but their were no signs of the hamstring concern as he led and marked confidentially.
His efforts were only eclipsed by the Swampies’ Jamie Donnelly who accumulated more than 50 possessions in the midfield and kicked three goals in a sensational performance in a losing side, enough to see him go home with the Naidoc Round medal.
Bruthen kicked five goals to two in the opening term, leading by 20 points at quarter time, before extending the advantage at every change on the way to a 51-point buffer, but at no stage did they look like totally dominating the gallant Swampies who never gave up and chipped away from start to finish.
Bulldogs skipper Harley Kenner kicked four goals in another impressive performance, although he also appeared to be restricted by a high leg injury.
Alfie Solomon and Shane Thorpe chipped in with a couple as well for the Swampies.
Moffat was joined in the best players
for Bruthen by midfielders Daniel Hasler and Ray Giddings, Lachlan Horne and Richie Harrison who continues to show poise, skill and leadership.
Jamie Barton was a good target as a high half forward, while Will Matthews impressed clearing the ball from defence.
Donnelly waxed the ball for most of the match with Thorpe and Aaron Edwards until the latter hurt his hamstring in the third quarter. Other good contributors were undersized ruckman Nick O’Keefe, Dean Bakos, Tyson Canham and key forward Jake St John who took some nice grabs.
The competition will go into hiatus for a week with Lindenow South hosting Swan Reach next round and Bruthen heading up the mountain for an important engagement with form side Swifts Creek.
The Bulldogs will be hoping to welcome back Caleb Marsh, Nathan Hayes, Nigel Pearce, Rhys Kennedy, Jan Cabaybay and Chris Hood who were all absent last Saturday.
