By Marcus Uhe
They’ve topped the ladder from start to finish, and Saturday’s win over Belgrave confirmed the inevitable; a minor premiership heading to Emerald’s hangar at Chandler Recreation Reserve.
The 105-point win saw the Bombers respond to a tough loss against Berwick Springs the week before, having licked their wounds and responded in typical high-scoring fashion, kicking 21.19 145 to the Magpies’ 5.10 40.
Sein Clearihan said the first half reflected their frustration after dropping a game they should have won against Berwick Springs the week before.
“They came out and kicked (five goals) in the first and eight in the second, so they were up and about,” Clearihan said.
“We were able to change a couple of things and had a look at a couple of things, and we got through unscathed, which was the main thing.
“They finished off strong and we’re healthy, so it was a good hit out.”
Defenders Ben Willder and Michael Richardson were outstanding in defence, while David Johnson kicked six to reclaim the lead in the division’s goal kicking over Sam Gebert.
Other results have ensured that Berwick Springs awaits in the first week of finals, the side that bested the Bombers in round 16 on their home deck.
A six-goal lead in the third quarter was wiped by the Titans in a stunning second half, sealed by a Hayden Stagg bomb that rolled through an open goal square.
For Clearihan, the result offered plenty of lessons for his side, a good tune-up ahead of the business end of the season.
Without looking too far ahead – Seville await in round 18, who beat the Bombers in their most recent clash – there’s a hunger to right to the wrong in September.
“We probably got a more out of that (losing) than winning.
“Their attitude sometimes, it’s good to get a bit of a shake.
“I think we got to seven goals out, halfway through the third quarter and then relaxed a little bit.
“I’m looking forward to playing them in a couple of weeks’ time, but we’ve got to get over Seville this week first. Finals games are completely different to home and away.”
Officer appears set to miss out on finals football in Division One after a losing a critical contest to Seville.
The Blues secured a finals birth with the 10.13 73 to 4.2 26 victory at home, 23 shots on goal to six a telling statistic.
Officer led at quarter time but was saved by Seville’s poor kicking for goal, the Blues kicking five behinds to the Kangaroos’ single major.
Things kicked into gear for the home side in the second term, kicking three while Officer was held goalless.
Both sides kicked three in the final term, setting Officer a 27-point handicap to overcome at the final break.
They never made it out of the blocks, however, held scoreless in the final term, going down by 47 points.
The loss means Officer need to defeat Berwick Springs at home this week, and hope that Hallam can upset Healesville, to ensure both sides finish on the same match ratio percentage.
In that event, Officer will snatch fourth place, having secured the higher winning margin in the two contests between the sides.
Hallam was unable recreate the magic of last week’s breakthrough win over Belgrave, falling short to Berwick Springs at Mick Morland Reserve by 45 points.
The Titans sealed second place on the Division One table, locking in the date with Emerald thanks to the 12.9 81 to 5.6 36 result.
Berwick Springs led by 20 points at half time as the Hawks’ defence held firm, but the Titans kicked away late in the third quarter by with the final three goals of the term.
Tom Nelson, Kody Buselli and Ethan Damato stretched the lead to 41, which proved to be the decisive period in the contest.
The margin grew to 47 points midway through the final quarter before settling on 45, the Hawks finishing the year in spirited fashion with a win under their belts the week before.
Midfielder Beau Gibbs kicked two goals and was among Hallam’s most influential players, along with Joel Danilo and Joshua Anderson.
Corey Green was the Titans’ leading goal kicker with three goals, the Titans finding the necessary answers to goal through their medium sized forwards in the absence of keys Ty Ellison and Braydn Hoewel.
Nelson and Damato each kicked two, as did Hayden Stagg, his favouritism shortening for the league medal by the game.
