Sport / Football
Brunswick notches first win of the season over hapless Cobras
Brunswick NOBs 15.19 (109) defeated Old Yarra Cobras 5.6 (36) at Koonung Reserve
Tim Purdey
Brunswick ended a frustrating fortnight by comfortably accounting for cellar-dwellers Old Yarra Cobras to the tune of 73 points at Koonung Reserve on Saturday to record their first win of the season.
But inaccuracy and a dozy final quarter meant they failed to fully capitalise on their chance to rack up a huge score against an undermanned opponent.
Since Brunswick last visited Bulleen in 2023 much has changed, not only to what was once the picturesque Koonung Park, which has shrunk in size and lost its stand of old gum trees at the eastern end to roadworks, but to the Cobras themselves, who had the NOBs’ measure back then, but did not want to be promoted to Division 1 this year after losing half of their Division 2 Grand Final side.
The game itself didn’t reach any great heights. The NOBs were completely dominant in the first half, as reflected by a scoreline of 8.12 to 0.2 at the main change, but many of the behinds were relatively straightforward set shots from easy range, so the margin should have been far greater.
For the first hour of play, Brunswick’s midfield ran rampant, with Gabe Banova, Angus Ross, Daniel Mott and Ben Wilson picking up possessions at will. The defenders had little work to do, while the forward line was alive with opportunity.
Zephyr Hooke kicked the opener after five minutes, followed by Tom Wilson, then Banova slammed one through on the run from 40, followed by a nice set shot to playing President Joe Gale to round out the first term.
The second quarter followed a similar script, with young gun Liam Allman kicking one around the corner to start, then Banova took advantage of a 50 metre penalty for his second, before Allman also doubled up after getting on the end of some quality team play. Defender Will Kempt was thrown forward to add some height with instant results, as he won a free kick and goaled.
Hooke kicked his second early in the third term, before the Cobras finally broke their duck five minutes in. Matt Deeth then kicked a nice running goal, but the game deteriorated in standard after that, before the NOBs kicked into gear again, slamming on four goals straight in five minutes, with Banova’s third (from another 50m penalty), Allman’s third, then a nice shot from the boundary to Erik Newgreen, before the day’s only real highlight in defender Tahj Haddock intercepting a ball at centre half-forward and playing on to slot it through from 40.
The final quarter was a forgettable snooze-fest. Allman provided the only highlight with his fourth goal from an angle, while some unfortunate turnovers from normally reliable defenders led to two majors to the Cobras, who took the honours for the term.
Banova was an obvious choice for best-on-ground, with his prolific midfield mates in Ross, Wilson and Mott rounding out the top four. Charlie Thorpe was excellent in defence, while Allman was fantastic with his four goals. A true test awaits Brunswick this week in the form of undefeated ladder leaders Preston at Gillon Oval in what promises to be a ripping game.
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