By Mathew Asciak
A valiant Coburg display was not enough for a Footscray side who were exceptional in front of goal and kicked away in the second half.
Coburg started brightly, getting the opening centre clearance and scoring opportunity, but only managed minor score via Kyle Weightman. The Bulldogs broke the deadlock at the 5-minute mark through Nathan Drummond and would add a second goal soon after through Buku Khamis after he took a contested mark and kicked the set shot from close range. Rain started to fall at the 8th minute mark of the 1st term which helped the Lions stay within reach of the Bulldogs, making the game into a scrappy affair at times and it showed in the high tackle numbers for the Lions. The Bulldogs had a 11-point lead at the time and had the ball entrenched in their forward half. Lachie Walker strong contested intercept mark.
Lions were able to control the ball for a short period in the 2nd half of the term to slow the rate of scoring opportunities for the Dogs. Flynn Gentile and Walker were the leading disposal getters for the Lions, but the midfield battle was well in favour of the home side, leading the clearances 12-3 at the 17th minute mark. Weightman was the first to react to a loose ball from a deep kick to the top of the square from Aaron Clarke, executing a quick soccer out of the air for the Lions’ first. A clever check side kick from Weightman gave Max Simpson a chance late in the term to kick their second but could only muster a minor score.
Josh D’Intinosante had a busy opening term, collecting 6 touches and laid 3 tackles, making a concerted effort to impose himself on the defensive end. The Dogs took a 6-point quarter time lead but would be disappointed considering they were well on top in the early stages.
The Dogs hit the scoreboard early in the 2nd term through Sam Willoughby, extending their lead to 12 points. Coburg were able to get the game on their terms soon after, slowing down the pace of the game and preventing a quick flurry of goals. Max Kennedy had a golden opportunity 7 minutes in to kick their second, but his left footed effort just sailed left of the target for a minor score.
Braedyn Gillard kicked his first goal of the season midway through the quarter after being awarded a free kick for high contact. The talented midfielder went back and slotted a much-needed goal for the Burgers and reduced the deficit to 11.
Daniel Johnston would squeeze through a goal three minutes later and get the Lions a second consecutive goal as the Lions put a strong 5-minute spell together, bringing the margin to within a goal. Weightman pounced on a lazy kick in 30m from goal with an instinctive intercept mark and would give the Lions the lead for the first time at the 19th minute mark.
Though the time in the lead would be short lived as the Bulldogs would strike back instantly, winning the subsequent centre clearance through Lachlan Sullivan, who had 9 clearances to this point of the match would begin to the forward move to find Khamis, who would kick his 2nd of the day.
The goals continued to flow, and Johnston would become the third multiple goal kicker as he benefited from a shepherd on the goal line to help his long entry trickle through for the Lions 5th. Yet again the Bulldogs responded off the boot of Khamis as he found space in their froward 50 which allowed him to gather the ball unaffected and kicked his 3rd, regaining the lead for the home side. The Bulldogs were still on top of the clearance ledger at half time but the Lions would be pleased to have reduced the discrepancy slightly, trailing 21-27 for the game. Luke Nelson led the Lions with 12 touches, while Hugo McGlashan was busy defensively, applying 6 first half tackles.
The Bulldogs opened a 21-point margin in the first two minutes of the 3rd term with a run of 4 straight goals that carried over from the final stages of the first half. Their ability to gain easy, quick possessions from clearance situations was critical to the Bulldogs ability to apply constant pressure on the Coburg back six.
A run of 6 unanswered goals from the Bulldogs was broken by Ben Rigoni, who kicked his first VFL goal for Coburg, reducing the lead to a manageable 25-points 17 minutes into the 3rd quarter.
Lining up in the forward 50 once again, Tom McKenzie, found space to receive an easy uncontested mark from Gillard on the wing and was able to find big man Clarke, who took an easy mark after using some great body work. He would go back and kick the goal, bringing the margin below 20 points.
Some great front and centre work from McKenzie at the 31st minute mark of the term kept the Lions within reaching distance of the Bulldogs; but the goal would be cancelled out soon after, as has been the case on multiple occasions throughout as Khamis kicked his 4th of the match.
D’Intinosante was able to get attacking reward six minutes into the final term, with some more great shepherd work on the goal line by Clarke, bringing the margin back down to 23.
A trio of goals from the Bulldogs increased the margin to 42 at the 24th minute mark of the final term, putting the margin beyond the Lions. The Lions applied great tackle pressure all day, accumulating a tackle count well above their season average of 51, recording 79 for the match a strong tackle was rewarded yet again, allowing Gillard to kick his 2nd from the resulting holding the ball free kick. Youngster Luke Bailey had another productive outing defensively, leading the Lions again in tackles with 9.
Johnston kicked his 3rd late in the piece with a well-executed 45m kick off one step, leading the Lions on the scoreboard on the day.
The Bulldogs prevailed with a 32-point victory and kept within reach of a finals berth, while the Lions remain in search for their first win of 2023.
Final Score:
Footscray Bulldogs: 2.2.(14) | 7.2.(44) | 13.2.(80) | 17.6.(108)
Coburg Lions: 1.2.(8) | 5.5.(35) | 8.9.(57) | 11.10.(76)
Goals: Johnston 3, Weightman 2, Gillard 2, Rigoni, Clarke, McKenzie, D’Intinosante
Best: A.Clarke, L.Nelson, B.Gillard, K.Weightman, M.Podhajski, D.Johnston
