Nomads downed by Bulldogs
Despite being 20 points ahead with ten minutes to go in the final quarter, the Nomads somehow managed to snatch defeat out of the jaws of victory to lose to Gunnedah at the weekend, with the Dogs kicking 5 goals in the dying minutes of the game.
In blustery conditions at Gunnedah’s Wolseley Oval the lead see-sawed through out the day. The Nomads were slow out of the blocks and had difficulty in the first half countering the handball and running game of the small Dogs out of the backline and on the wings. If it hadn’t been for the valiant work of the backmen such as Mitchell “Muzza” Reece, Rowdy Ballagh, Tom Walsh and Nathan Lambie then the Dogs would have been 10 goals up at half time.
In the second half the commitment of the Nomads around the ground improved so that by the middle of the last quarter, it appeared as if the Peripatetics were comfortably home. Perhaps that was the problem – the sense of comfort. The Dogs, to their credit, came storming home kicking truly in spite of the wind, and the Nomads weren’t able to rally themselves.
There is obviously still a lot of work to be done. More movement is needed in the forward line and across the ground the boys need to work harder to get to contests. Nonetheless there are plenty of promising signs. Tom Walsh continues to improve in the backline. Omphile Temoso’s battle with Sam Naismith was captivating – the two best ruckmen in the league going head to head with Ompsy taking the honours by a small margin in the end. His ruck work improves each week. Dave “Modra/Marny” Richards was as elusive as ever and played an important part in the second half revival. Captain Nick Schultz provided inspiration, taking strong marks all round the ground and Calla Teseling made a welcome return to the team with his speed and strength.
On a more sombre note, Grant Wagstaff broke his collarbone in the dying moments of the game and he will sorely missed in the next few weeks. We wish him well in his recovery.
Round 6 2011
| Bulldogs def. Nomads | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | B | P | G | B | P | ||
| Q1 | 4 | 3 | 27 | 2 | 1 | 13 | |
| HT | 5 | 9 | 39 | 4 | 4 | 28 | |
| Q3 | 5 | 11 | 41 | 7 | 6 | 48 | |
| FT | 11 | 14 | 80 | 10 | 8 | 68 | |
Team:
- C. Ballagh,
- M. Bourke,
- C. Dobos,
- M. Dowdle,
- J. Frost,
- N. Lambie,
- C. Murray,
- A. Parish,
- D. Pearce,
- M. Reece,
- D. Richards,
- H. Ross,
- N. Schultz,
- D. Sides,
- C. Teseling,
- O. Temoso,
- G. Wagstaff,
- A. Walsh,
- T. Walsh,
- W. Whitby,
- M. Woodward,
- J. Wright.
Goalscorers:
- D. Richards (3),
- A. Walsh (2),
- H. Ross (2),
- W. Whitby (2),
- J. Wright.
Award winners:
- M. Reece (Players' Player),
- T. Walsh (Coach's),
- C. Teseling (President's),
- C. Ballagh (Captain's),
- O. Temoso (VC's).
