Mountain Men narrowly down Bombers

WITH the weather chilly and the sights of the O&K on Pioneer Park on Saturday, the stage was set for the only fixture of the weekend between Bright and Bonnie Doon to rock the competition, with the state of the top four of the senior ladder at stake. Bright proved they have what it takes to go deep into finals this year, overcoming a ferocious Bombers line–up to take the win 11.6 (72) to 8.9 (57). It wasn't an easy match for either side, with the intensity and drive from the Bombers clashing heads with Bright's movement and carry across the wings. Bright coach Paul Harrison said the effort shown by his boys against a quality outfit gave them confidence in their ability to close out games. "All day it was pretty close, both teams were playing good footy," he said. "It was a little bit muddy by the time the reserves had finished, chopped up the ground a bit, so it was more of a contested game of footy, but in parts you could still get it on the outside and get your run and carry going. "It was a good test all day and to the boys' credit, in the last quarter we ran away with it. "Young Cooper Thomson was able to break many of their thrusts forward and in the end we made a couple of little moves with Nathan Lyons hurt with a bad corky so he went forward and was able to kick a couple. "I think we just ran out the game a bit better." Bonnie Doon coach Ken Murray said the Bombers let themselves down right at the death knell of the game, with errant kicking in front of the sticks proving to be their downfall. "I've watched the replay back and we had more than enough of the ball and more than enough looks, but it's a similar story to last week – when you kick three or four points in the last quarter, and a few of those are very gettable, it becomes costly," he said. "At the end of the day I wouldn't say there was any major area they dominated the game or that we dominated the game. "It just ebbed and flowed – if we had kicked a little straighter in that last quarter, the game could've been a toss of the coin either way, but we couldn't convert and they took their chances. "In reality, that was just the difference." Both teams will take this weekend off while the rest of the competition plays their round 12 matches, with time needed to address a few minor injuries and sore bodies in both camps. The reserves match was less of a tussle, Bright home safely by 80 points.

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