Sport / Football
Back home, NOBs snare valuable four points
Brunswick NOBs 17.7 (109) defeated Monash Blues 8.4 (52) at Gillon Oval
Tim Purdey
After a few tough weeks, Brunswick NOBs banked a valuable four points with an emphatic 57-point win over a young Monash Blues outfit at Gillon Oval on Saturday.
Playing in ideal mid-winter conditions – apart from the swamp that is the centre of the ground – the NOBs were quick to assert their dominance on the game and romped to a 50-point lead at half-time, before the Ashes attacked the contest with far more purpose in the second half to ensure it wasn’t all one-way traffic on the day.
Jackson Davis started his day beautifully with a running banana goal in the second minute, followed by a nice set shot to Tom Wilson from 40 metres and a major to Liam Allman from a holding-the-ball free kick.
In an open game, the visitors got themselves on the scoreboard after 18 minutes, before Dom Oswald converted a free kick and Davis slotted another goal on the run to send Brunswick to the first break with a 24-point lead.
The second term was a slow burn early, before the home side caught fire with five majors in quick succession, beginning with Darcy Heenan from 45, then the busy Angus Ross took advantage of a defensive error, before Ben Young bombed one from inside the centre square.
A third to Davis and a second to Tom Wilson rounded off a dominant period, before the Ashes responded with two late goals, which were split by Allman’s second major after a good mark.
To their credit, Monash were a different side in the third term, applying pressure to Brunswick and taking the speed out of the game, which led to them kicking the first two goals and closing to within 40 points, before Tom Wilson’s third and Davis’ fourth steadied the ship for the NOBs. But a late major to the Ashes meant that they deservedly won the quarter.
Monash kept on pressing and dragged the margin back to 38 points early in the final quarter, but scoring then became harder before Oswald’s second from a strong contested mark sparked the NOBs into action once again, with Joe Gale getting on the end of an excellent pass from Ross to kick his first, then Ben Wilson snapped truly.
The Ashes snagged one more, before Gale finished off proceedings with his second, again after receiving a good pass on the lead.
The prolific Angus Ross was best for Brunswick, while Jackson Davis enjoyed his day with four goals. Jackson Browne had sticky fingers across half-back, while Tom Wilson continued his good recent form in attack. The McKenzie brothers, Lewis and Will, were also very good, while Tahj Haddock was again tough as nails in defence.
Playing the winless Old Yarra Cobras at Gillon again this Saturday, the NOBs have the ideal chance to go back-to-back.
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