SWFL: Bulls halt Bulldogs charge to finals

Bunbury's finals charge was brought to a crunching halt on Sunday, after a shock six-point defeat to a gutsy Harvey Bulls at a boggy Harvey Recreation Ground.

The Bulls came from 15 points behind early in the final term to kick the last four goals and win 12.7 (79) to 10.13 (73).

Bunbury went into the game as the competition’s form team, but somebody forgot to read the script to the young Bulls, who held the margin to 12 points at the first break and backed up with four unanswered goals in the second quarter to lead by 11 at half-time.

Harvey was again led by full forward Greg Sanders, who kicked six goals while Mark Cherubino put in a best-on-ground performance.

The Bulls opened up a 23-point lead in the third term before the Bulldogs rallied through Craig Thomas and Sam Miles.

Jordan Adamson-Holmes kicked two majors either side of a goal of the year contender from Riley Hutchinson, who received a handball on half back and charged away, taking five bounces before unleashing a 65m bomb.

There was a twist on the stroke of three-quarter time – Jesse Gribble kicked a long goal to give Bunbury the lead before a scuffle broke out and he received a second kick and a 50m penalty to give the visitors an unlikely nine-point advantage.

Harvey had the breeze in the final quarter, but the Bulls looked in trouble when Clint Garlett kicked the first goal.

Sanders drilled a long shot and the Bulldogs missed two chances to re-establish the gap through good defence from impressive youngster Levi Pope, Chris Rodgers and Brett Lofthouse.

Then Cherubino emerged as a hero. He goalled from a wide set shot before Dylan Egerton-Green back-ed into a pack to take a courageous mark, earn a 50m penalty and put the Bulls in front.

Sanders kicked his sixth 18 minutes in and Harvey defended desperately for the last eight minutes.

Bunbury made one last desperate dash in the final minute, only for Cherubino to lay a match-saving tackle.

Scoreboard

Harvey Bulls 1.4 5.6 8.7 12.7 79 def Bunbury 3.4 3.7 9.10 10.13 73

Goals:

HARVEY BULLS – G. Sanders 6, K. Germs, D. Faulkner, D. Davis, A. Jetta, M. Cherubino, D. Egerton-Green.

BUNBURY – J. Adamson-Holmes, J. Gribble 3, G. Howison, R. Hutchinson, C. Thomas, C. Garlett.

Best:

HARVEY BULLS – M. Cherubino, G. Sanders, L. Pope, C. Rodgers, R. Mooney, D. Faulkner.

BUNBURY – C. Thomas, S. Miles, S. Howison, J. Adamson-Holmes, J. Gribble, R. Hutchinson.