It was a good win on Saturday. Any time we play a stand alone VFL club we have to play 12 Carlton-listed players and 10 Bullants players. Wins achieved under those circumstances are terrific, especially considering we’ve got a few injuries in the Bullants’ camp at the moment.
Three or four of our better VFL players were unavailable against the Devils, including our captain Josh Vansittart. It was a physical, low-scoring game and it came down to the wire.
Tasmania got back to within four points in the dying stages, but we kicked the last goal to win by 10 points.
It’s the second win we’ve had after being down in the last quarter which not only shows good fitness but a ‘never-say-die’ attitude within the group. It’s good for our boys to know they can call on that later in the season when we fall behind again.
There was a bit of feeling in the match, with some push and shove at quarter time as some of the lads flew the flag for their teammates. 'Teaguey' (coach David Teague) and I were in the area, and although a few of the boys showed some fire things did not get out of hand.
The match was televised on the ABC with a camera coming into the quarter time huddle. It was the first time Teaguey’s had to deal with that, but I don’t think it was too much of an issue for him or the players. Everyone just has to mind their P’s and Q’s I suppose.
Some of our young Carlton players did very well. Dennis Armfield played as a back pocket on one of their most dangerous forwards and did a good job. Steven Browne was a tagger through the midfield and kept his opponents quiet. He also got his hands on the ball a few times.
Adam Hartlett was a strong figure at centre half-forward and played with a lot of presence. He makes the opposition around him really earn their kicks and isn't afraid to occasionally sit a few players on their backsides which is important for our side.
Dave Ellard had his best game for the club after playing a half in the reserves. We had to take him off the ground because Adam Bentick got a late call-up to replace Bryce Gibbs in the AFL.
Ellard played a full match and was one of our best. He won plenty of ball and kicked three goals, which easily could have been five. He’s been building his form nicely over the last couple of months and every time we play him down forward he gets five or six shots at goal. That’s a really important quality for a young player to have -- if he’s going to play in that area he needs to get regular shots on goal and Dave's been able to do that.
Simon Wiggins has been good for us from round one. He wins his own ball and uses it well.
We’re up against Werribee next week. They’re aligned with the Kangaroos, so a lot of their strength will depend on who plays for the AFL side and who doesn’t. They only have one win so far this season, but it’s the sort of competition where being 10 per cent off your game will result in a loss.
We’ve got a lot of guys playing in our side who are hungry for senior footy and are playing well. As long as they keep that attitude we should be OK.
Northern Bullants 3.3 7.9 8.12 11.18 (84)
Tasmania 3.4 5.8 8.10 10.14 (74)
Northern Bullants
Goal Kickers: D. Teague 3, D. Ellard 3, A. Hartlett 2, C. Ackland, P. Colbert, A. Joseph
Best Players: D. Ellard, A. Iacobucci, S. Wiggins, S. Browne, L. Morgan, B. Bransgrove
Tasmania
Goal Kickers: L. Shackleton 2, J. Hardy 2, A. Cornelius 2, A. Gilmour, T. Langford, J. Charlesworth, S. Plummer
Best Players: K. Richter, L. Shackleton, J. Charlesworth, J. Bowden, J. Vearing, B. Setchell
