Round 3: Nomads pass Doggies test
The Nomads raised their game in the fourth quarter to run out 20-point winners over the Gunnedah Bulldogs. The final score of 11.12 (78) to 8.10 (58) coupled with the Nomads leading throughout, makes this match appear more comfortable than it actually was.
Having been hammered in Inverell last weekend the Bulldogs welcomed back a number of players that did not make that trip and set about showing that they will be a force this season, certainly at home.
In the first quarter the Nomads jumped out to a 4.2 (26) to 0.5 (5) lead, but the Dogs made some adjustments to close down specific players and restrict supply and then out-competed New England until the third quarter break. By this time the Nomads’ lead was down to 10 points and with their momentum the Bulldogs could have gone on to win.
In the last quarter the Nomads rallied; getting more bodies into contests, running hard and creating more chances. The young Nomads; Jay Dunlop, Caleb Dobos and Aaron Dobos, who received the Captain’s award, were instrumental in this.
At the other end the defence continued to thwart Bulldog attacks, with Glen Northway, Brendan Meehan and Mark Curran contesting every ball. The defence was rewarded post-match with the Players’ Player (Glen Norhtway) and Coaches (Brendan Meehan) awards.
So the Nomads survived their first real test of the season against a strong, competitive side that played a lot of quality football. Now they need to build on the lessons from this week before facing Inverell in next weekend’s night match at Varley Oval.
Mark Handley again lead the Nomads’ goal scoring, kicking five goals this week. In addition Dan Gardiner, playing in his first Nomads’ game for over a season, got two and provided a strong option at centre half forward all afternoon. The other goal scorers were Anthony Alderuccio, Aaron Dobos, Jay Dunlop and Adrian Walsh.
