Football: Boomers win tackle fest over Lions

It wasn’t pretty and the final score looked lopsided, but Harvey-Brunswick-Leschenault’s 60-point loss to the Eaton Boomers at Glen Huon Reserve was more entertaining than the scoreline suggests.

It was tackle, tackle, tackle with precious few runs as the Boomers treated their fans to a 14.10 (94) to 5.4 (34) victory which got them back on the winners’ list after last week’s shock loss to Bunbury.

The hangover of that first defeat of the season appeared to linger as they struggled against a committed Lions.

In fact it took nine minutes before the Boomers posted a score through a fortuitous forced behind.

By that stage the Lions had racked up two majors to Jamal Mulholland, who landed an acute angled set shot in the third minute and then snatched down a top mark to slot his second.

But big Boomer forward Jacob Ferrier pulled back both goals followed by a couple of 50m penalty gifts to Jace Cormack and Michael Battaglia.

A late goal from Mat Fenwick sent the Lions into the first break just a goal behind.

Coach Alan McDonald gave his men a timely reminder of what was required at quarter-time and the Boomers clicked into gear from the start of the second term, with Ferrier on target just two minutes in.

There was rarely another look in for the Lions and with their supporters now in full voice Eaton never looked back, keeping their opponents to two second term majors and none in the second half.

Skipper Dave Newman, deputy Travis Obal, Glen Crosby and the mobile David Kerr did their best to keep the Boomers in check with some furious tackles, but with skipper Will Oelsnik and Matt Scott uncompromising in defence, that path was blocked for the entire second half.

Scoreboard

Eaton Boomers 4.1 7.4 9.7 14.10 94 def H-Bruns-Lesch 3.1 4.2 5.2 5.4 34

Goals:

EATON — J. Ferrier 6, Jace Cormack 3, M. Buchanan, W. Oelsnik, S. Cane , C. Atthowe, M. Battaglia.

HBL — J. Mulholland 2, M. Joyce, M. Fenwick, S. Sabourne.

Best:

EATON — G. Catalano, J. Ferrier, Jye Cormack, M. Battaglia, B. Piggott, W. Oelsnik.

HBL — D. Newman, G. Crosby, A. Petropoulos, D. Kerr, J. Mulholland, L. Hughes.