Nomads post another victory – this time against Bulldogs
By Judy Walker (Armidale Express, 11/08/2008)
The New England Nomads have a strong entry in to the finals after defeating Gunnedah in the last round of the Tamworth Australian Football League (TAFL) competition.
Saturday’s game was a close one but the Nomads put the pressure on the Gunnedah Bulldogs and came away with a win in the end.
The Nomads won 13-16-94 to 10-10-70.
Nomads coach Brendan Meehan said the Armidale side started off pretty well but they were inconsistent at times.
He said the first quarter was pretty slow and fairly even but during the second the Nomads took the lead by five goals.
The third quarter proved to be a different ball game when the Nomads lost their lead and Gunnedah got away.
Meehan said the fourth quarter was a tough contest but the Nomads managed to fight their way back to take the game four goals in front.
The Nomads finished without any injuries, for which Meehan was grateful. He said there was a close call when Anthony Reid had to come off with a head injury but after a spell he went back on to see the game out.
According to Meehan, Matt Maxwell, Rich Malone, Ed Nixon and Sam Trotman, who scored two goals, gave stand out performances throughout the game.
Meehan said Jonathon Frost and Lahl Jenkins also scored a goal each and young star Weston Whitby scored four goals. Whitby has had a phenomenal season and his success was confirmed when he took out the goal-kicking title at the TAFL presentation dinner at the weekend.
After being ahead, trailing and finishing in front in the game against Gunnedah, Meehan said consistency would be the focus of the Nomads’ finals preparation.
“We need to put it all together for the four quarters – we’re trying to play four quarters of football,” he said.
Meehan believes his team is in a good position heading into the finals.
“The boys are starting to play really well as a team,” he said.
The Nomads will have this week off as part of the whole competition bye but will saddle up the following weekend to play Gunnedah at home.
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