Bulldogs get a sniffof finals with Storm upset

GOLDEN Square has kept its final hopes alive for another day, shaking off Strathfieldsaye in a tough slog at Wade Street last Saturday.

The Bulldogs produced only their third win of the season with a come-from-behind 11-point win in a low-scoring affair.

But in the context of their season, it was a much more alluring win, putting the Bulldogs within one win of the fifth-placed Storm and level on points with sixth-placed Castlemaine, which came up 14 points short of South Bendigo in another tight one at Harry Trott Oval.

Quick to put things into perspective, Golden Square coach Brad Eaton pinpointed the Bulldogs’ poor percentage as one of the potential stumbling blocks to a late top five berth.

He is clear on what needs to be achieved to force their way in.

“Being about 17 per cent behind (in percentage) we need to beat a side above us again,” he said.

“We do play Strath one more time and have a similar number of games against teams below us to come.

“It’s going to take more than two wins, so we are still up against it.

“But it does give us a sign of hope that if we play some good footy, we will be rewarded.”

With all clubs playing two others three times this season, the Bulldogs will have double-ups against the Storm and Sandhurst.

The Storm plays Golden Square and Gisborne twice.

Still firmly in the mix, Castlemaine has South Bendigo and Eaglehawk as its round 15 and 16 opponents.

With the Bulldogs and Storm set to clash again in the final home and away round, both are likely to know exactly what needs to be done to achieve finals going into the match at Tannery Lane.

Eaton was full of praise for his side’s pressure and intensity, particularly with the game up for grabs in the final quarter.

“The boys just hung in there, rather than letting them take the game away from us,” he said.

“There was a wind going one way and we were against it in the first quarter, but they didn’t fully capitalise on it (the Storm kicked 1.5).

“That kept us in it and we were able to hit back in the second.

“We knew coming home with the breeze, we had the fitness and the belief that we were in a game we could win, and the boys dug deep.

“They took the game on and it paid off.

“There were no passengers – the young guys stood up and the leaders played well – a good all-round effort.”

Eaton said it was hard to go past Noah Warfe – a late replacement for Hugh Freckleton – in defence as the Bulldogs’ best.

Jayden Burke played a key role in defence in stifling the Storm during the third quarter, while Ollie Eaton helped put the Bulldogs firmly in the contest with two second quarter goals.

Other prominent performances were notched up by Xavier Carter, Brodie James on the wing and Daniel Keating, who – while being shaded in the hit-out count – contested robustly around the ground.

Confident the Bulldogs would be a much more difficult proposition for opponents in the second half of their season, Eaton believed that belief had been vindicated in recent wins over Castlemaine and now the Storm.

“We’ve got a bit better squad to be honest with our availability of players,” he said.

“Dylan Hird has been back in for a couple of weeks, the same for Jack Stewart and Harry Burke (two goals v the Storm).

“It’s made life easier for us.”

It was a chance lost for the Storm, who could nearly have clinched a finals spot with a win over the Bulldogs ahead of another tough clash against a rebounding Eaglehawk, which lost for the second time this season to Gisborne.

Round 11 recap:

South Bendigo 11.9 (75) def Castlemaine 8.13 (61); Sandhurst 26.20 (176) def Kangaroo Flat 6.6 (42); Golden Square 9.14 (68) def Strathfieldsaye 8.9 (57); Gisborne 9.12 (66) def Eaglehawk 6.15 (51).

Round 12 (July 19):

Sandhurst v South Bendigo; Strathfieldsaye v Eaglehawk; Golden Square v Kangaroo Flat; Castlemaine v Gisborne.