Football: Dons dump Lions

Donnybrook gave a strong indication it is ready to climb the ladder after consecutive wooden spoons when it overran Harvey-Brunswick-Leschenault by 15 points in the South West Football League season opener on Saturday night.

Solid off-field recruitment including the return of favourite son Jeff Smith gave the Dons hope for the season and, in tandem with last year’s star Curtis Guglielmana, he steered Donnybrook to a confidence-boosting 10.9 (69) to 7.12 (54) win at Brunswick Oval.

But it was not a breeze for the Dons in the twilight match, with the Lions getting away to a 13-point lead at quarter-time.

However, the Guglielmana cousins Curtis and Jarred, Smith, star forward Daniel Billson, defender Aaron White and burly Michael Vander Klashorst lifted as the Dons piled on six goals to one in the second term to take a 19-point advantage into the main break.

With a sniff of success, Donnybrook clung grimly to its lead in spite of a courageous effort by John Klumpp, livewire Chris Strano and skipper David Newman.

Two evenly matched teams went into a torrid struggle, kicking just three goals each for the second half as the Dons refused to yield.

Earlier, the match started with Newman turning back the visitors’ attacks with superb, long raking relievers while Brendan Stemp, Keegan Fortescue and ruckman Llane Spaanderman posted majors against Billson’s first for the evening.

The Dons set up their triumph with a classy second term in which Shane Cristaldi, Billson, Smith, the Guglielmanas, Hayden King, Aaron White and Matt Bailey took charge.

The visitors booted five straight goals to head into the main break with a lead they would not relinquish as the game turned into an arm-wrestle in the second half.

Score Card

Donnybrook 1.2 7.5 9.6 10.9 69 def Harv-Bruns-Lesch 3.3 4.4 6.7 7.12 54

GOALS:

DONNYBROOK– D. Billson 3, J. Guglielmana 2, R. Cross, M. Vander Klashorst, J. Smith, C. Guglielmana.

HARVEY-BRUNSWICK-LESCHENAULT – T. Wheeler 2, K. Fortescue, J. Klumpp, C. Strano, B. Stemp, L. Spaanderman.

BEST:

DONNYBROOK – C. Guglielmana, J. Smith, A. White, J. Guglielmana, D. Billson, H. King. HARVEY-

BRUNSWICK-LESCHENAULT – J. Klumpp, D. Newman, L. Spaanderman, C. Strano, K. Fortescue.