By Marcus Uhe
A strong final quarter from Emerald has put to rest any doubt over the best side in Outer East’s Division One competition, accounting for Berwick Springs for the second time this season in a top-of-the-table clash at home.
With scores tied at the beginning of the final quarter, the Bombers kicked the only four goals of the period to power to a 25-point win, 11.15 81 to 7.14 56, and move three games clear of the Titans in second place.
It was the devastating forward pack of David Johnson, Rogan Goonan, Noah Van Haren and Lachlan Crnogorac that did the damage in the final term, working telepathically to find one-another forward of centre and stretch the Berwick Springs backline.
A pair of snaps from Goonan within the first five minutes of the quarter gave the Bombers an initial break on the Titans, forcing them to chase the game as time ticked away.
An inside 50 from Johnson fell into his lap, before he dodged a pair of tackles and snapped truly, then crumbed a Crnogorac shot on goal to push the lead to 12 points.
In the back half, the Bombers were composed and organised, with Ben Lewis and Jake Pedder providing resistance to Berwick Springs forward thrusts.
On the attack, patient ball use and the ability to hit short targets allowed them to carefully work their way down the field and find the outnumber when it presented itself.
Johnson kicked goal number five thanks to a freekick in a ruck contest before a clever finish from Van Haren put the dagger in the Berwick Springs’ hearts in the dying minutes.
Mistakes and poor discipline early in the contest came back to haunt the Titans the longer the game continued.
With Johnson and Van Haren kicking the first two of the afternoon, a goal to Corey Green was waved-off due to an off-ball freekick in the centre of the ground against one of his teammates.
An extremely minor jumper punch against Daniel Ousley in the back 50 then gifted Johnson a second, to the bemusement of all watching after such incidental contact.
The Bombers had quickly raced to a three-goal lead before the visitors had even scored, and needed a spark.
Having seen what Johnson could do at the opposite end of the ground, Ty Ellison decided to go head-to-head with the Bombers’ star and kick the next two of the contest to drag his side back into contention.
With the peroxide hair a beacon of light in the dark wintery backdrop, Ellison showed creativity that most men of his size don’t have, following his own ruck work and snapping a goal on his right from hard against the boundary.
In a thrill for the spectators, Johnson saw Ellison’s mobility and chose to match it, selling candy to a Berwick Springs defender at ground level before offering a masterful checkside snap.
In reply, Ellison threaded the eye of the needle with a beautiful set shot on an approach that begun in the gutter, as the skill level belied the slippery conditions at Chandler Recreation Reserve.
Van Haren kicked his second for the afternoon shortly after as the two sides traded goals.
But the Titans soon gained a foothold in the territory battle, as repeat inside 50 entries had the Emerald defensive group on its heels.
Connor Guley and Braydn Hoewel missed chances they should have taken from close range, but opportunistic goals to Hayden Stagg, Tom Nelson and Brent Urwin saw the men in white snag the lead at half time.
The challenge was thrown to the Bombers, in an unfamiliar space having never trailed at half time at any stage this year.
The Titans’ discipline problem would rear its ugly head again early in the final term, with James Makrodimitris conceding a 25-metre penalty to make Jack McGough’s shot from 40 considerably more straight-forward.
The game’s tempo slowed to a crawl, but the Titans showed plenty of heart, and retook the lead midway through the third quarter.
Needing a lift, Johnson showed his experience and put his stamp on the contest once again.
Repeat entries and shots on goals for the Bombers eventually saw the Titans defence cave, as the veteran kicked his fourth of the day to capitalise on a 10-minute period of overwhelming control for the top side.
Unfortunately for the Ttians, Lucas Smith’s goal halfway through the third would be their final major for the contest.
Key defender Riley Hillman was outstanding under a severe weight of numbers for the Berwick Springs, while big name recruits in Hayden Stagg and Chris John continue to earn every penny for Rod Benstead’s side.
Officer celebrated the opening of its new clubrooms with a hard-fought 24-point win over Seville at Starling Road.
Accuracy infront of goal was critical for Daniel Charles’ side, boosted by the return of key forwards Brent Moloney and Mark Seedsman, kicking 4.0 to 1.5 in the final quarter to hold Seville at arms-length.
Officer kicked the first four goals of the game to establish an early lead in the contest, but Seville chipped-away and cut the lead to just 10 points at the final break.
Steady heads up forward were critical late for Officer, who fought off the charge of the visitors.
Riley Punnett impressed on senior debut in the blue and white, as did Riley Perkins, on assignment from the under 19s.
Seedsman and Troy Tharle kicked three goals each.
At Healesville, the home side bookended its contest with Belgrave with strong first and last quarters to deny the Magpies their second win of the year.
Healesville kicked-away to a 22-point lead at quarter-time but the Magpies reigned it in to just eight at the long break, after holding the home side goalless.
Belgrave would kick just one goal for the remainder of the contest, however, as the home side finished 31-point winners.
Captain Nick Mende was a standout for the home side kicking two goals from the midfield, alongside Max Donegan, who kicked three goals.
Bailey Werde, Chris Westcott and Alex Harvey were among Belgrave’s best.
