Brad Miller (second from left) reaches for the sky with his Bendigo opponent in Shepparton.
Richmond listed Dan Connors puts in an attempt for mark of the year against Coburg in Shepparton.
Bendigo’s Corey Dell’olio is caught with the sherrin by his Coburg opponent.
The Bendigo Gold have continued their run towards a top four spot in the VFL with a comprehensive 76 point thrashing of Coburg in their regional clash in Shepparton. They are now just one game and percentage away from Werribee in fourth place following their third win in a row.
Shepparton’s Deakin Reserve was the venue for the clash which was a home game for the Coburg Tigers looking to claw their way back into top eight contention. Locals who showed up hoping of a performance similar to their affiliated Richmond in the AFL of recent weeks would have been disappointed.
From the outset the Tigers were on the back foot as Bendigo shot out of the blocks and quickly asserted their stamp on the match. Forward Matt Little put in a best on ground performance with six goals and Scott Gumbleton continued his progress towards regaining a spot in the Essendon outfit with another solid game that pleased coach Hayden Skipworth.
By half-time Bendigo had extended their quarter-time lead of 26 points out to 33 and from there it was all one way traffic. They slammed on twelve goals to five in the second-half to run away with the points. Aside from Little’s bag the goals were shared among nine other players including three to Justin Maddern.
Coburg in contrast struggled to find a winner up forward with Christian McErlain, Todd Elton and Angus Graham all kicking two goals. Matt White and Luke Cartelli tried hard for the losers and Graham battled manfully around the ground. However there were winners everywhere for Bendigo. Little’s great work in front of goals couldn’t have been achieved without the ball-getting ability of the likes of Brendan Lee, Mark Baguley and Elliott Kavanagh.
With an influx of Essendon-listed players into the side in recent weeks, the Bendigo Gold are fast becoming a side to look out for in the second half of the season. Coburg on the other hand are now two games and a large percentage gap from eighth spot and seemingly in no man’s land.
It will take an enormous effort from the Tigers to challenge for a place in the finals this year. Their task doesn’t get any easier with a trip to North Port oval this week to take on reigning premiers Port Melbourne. Bendigo Gold will be hoping their winning run continues when they journey to Box Hill in what should be an exciting contest with the Hawks.
Both sides have a strong representation of AFL players who will be out to impress in the hope of regaining selection back into the top flight.
About Shane Goss
I am currently working as an assistant manager at the Kilmore Racetrack as well as freelancing in the media as a photographer and writer. I have been heavily involved in the cycling media for the past ten years before taking on a full-time position at the racetrack. My passion for sport and especially football keeps me busy with projects on weekends.
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