Bulldogs maul Lions

Bunbury gave clear notice it will be a force to be reckoned with in 2014 with its experienced line-up trouncing the youthful Harvey-Brunswick-Leschenault 21.17 (143) to 4.7 (31) at Payne Park on Sunday.

No one would have predicted that sort of result in the opening term as the young Lions were buoyed by their ruck recruit Simon Hallsworth who won the first few contests.

Enthusiasm and pace allowed the Lions to get the ball forward on occasions and two goals for the term gave them a two point lead at the first change with a 2.3 (15) to 1.7 (13) score line.

A couple of posters and three close misses from Jesse Gribble led to the untidy scoreboard and it continued in the second term until Marc Re swooped on a loose ball to get his and the Bulldogs’ second goal.

Jordan Adamson-Holmes then set up Re for his third and the Bulldogs never looked back from there.

The ruck duels were a highlight throughout the game with Bunbury’s Jacob Williams eventually getting on top of Hallsworth.

By half time the Bulldogs had seven goals on the board despite spirited opposition from the Lions.

Re had booted four, Adamson-Holmes two and recruit Aiden Parker one goal as the Bulldogs led by thirty six points at the long interval.

With Sam Miles, Jesse and Trent Gribble winning a lot of the ball, the game became one-sided.

Re finished with nine goals, Parker with six and Adamson-Holmes with two majors and on most occasions the trio were involved in the passage of play leading to the score.

A nine-goal last quarter blew the margin out to 112 points which did not give due credit to the young Lions who battled hard all day but lacked the manpower to nullify the Bulldogs’ big guns.

Lion Jonathon Sabourne ruptured his ACL while attempting to wrongfoot an opponent early in the game in his first match back from the same type of injury.

Scoreboard

Bunbury 1.7 7.10 12.14 21.17 143 def Harv-Bruns-Lesch 2.3 2.4 3.7 4.7 31

Goals:

BUNBURY – M. Re 9, A. Parker 6, J. Adamson-Holmes, C. Garlett 2, B. Blake, G. Howison.

HBL – S. Sabourne, C. Strano, A. Thornton, C. Buchanan.

Best:

BUNBURY – A. Parker, S. Miles, M. Re, J. Adamson-Holmes, J. Williams, B. Beauglehole, J. Gribble.

HBL – T. Obal, S. Hallsworth, J. Watson, J.

Sell, M. Fenwick, M. Joyce.