By Tara Murray
Bundoora’s late season return to form has continued into finals, with the Bulls getting a big win against Greensborough in a Northern Football League division 1 elimination final.
The Bulls, who entered the finals on the back of four straight wins, were confident they could make a real impact.
Surprisingly, neither team scored a goal in good conditions in the first quarter on Sunday.
Bulls coach Ricky Dyson said they were surprised by the low scoring.
“It was a high-pressure start to the game and there was a few nerves,” he said.
“It was a bit of a scrappy contest. It was played in our half, but we couldn’t convert.”
Dyson said once they used the ball better going forward, they were able to have an impact on the scoreboard in the second half.
The Bulls kicked nine goals to two after half-time, to run away with a good 12.9 (81)-4.9 (33) win.
Dyson said that after the slow start, they were able to play some good footy.
“We used the ball better inside 50 and gave ourselves a better chance to score,” he said. “It was a pretty even performance.”
Josh Grabowski and Gary Moorcroft kicked three goals each of the Bulls.
Dyson said the likes of Grabowski, Josh Iacobaccio, Dennis Marshall and Joseph Palazzolo led the way.
“When your leaders play well, it makes a big difference,” he said.
Dyson said they were happy with how they were playing at this time of the year and confident that they could go further in finals.
But it seems a long time since they were sitting second bottom midway through the season.
“It’s a totally different ball game in finals,” he said. “We’re hitting some good form.
“Last year, we played well at Preston [where all the finals are] and we’ve played a lot of finals here the last 20 years. Hopefully it should help.”
The Bulls will face West Preston Lakeside in a knock-out semi-final.
Dyson said skipper Brent Marshall, Ben Nesci and Nathan Thomas were all chances of returning if they trained well during the week.
He said Dominic Nixon, who didn’t play after quarter-time on Sunday due to a couple of head knocks, should be fine.
“We really rate West Preston and they are a quality outfit,” he said.
“They beat us comfortably the first time and then we got one over them.
“The boys are confident we can compete with them on Saturday.”
