BIG WIN FOR THE BOMBERS
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On Saturday May 31 the SCAFL/OC Bombers hosted the Golden Gate Roos on the lush grounds of the With the SCAFL Metro League season well under way, and 4 strong teams competing and training over the last few months, the selectors were faced with a large squad to choose from and in a first for the Bombers, the coaching staff decided to pick a team of 24 players only. This meant that there was healthy competition amongst the players to fight for a spot in the side, and training over the last few weeks has lifted and been intense. Head coach John Fragomeni made it clear what was expected for a player to be considered for selection, and after a difficult selection process the final team was announced on the Thursday night prior to the game at a club dinner. The first quarter started at a fierce pace, with both teams attacking the ball and moving it well. With a fairly strong wind at their back, the Roos had the ball in their half for the first 5 minutes but were unable to penetrate the Bombers defense and score, while the Bombers were able to rebound and score goals from their first 3 forays inside their 50 meter zone. The Roos hit back with 2 quick goals before the Bombers steadied and finished the quarter with 2 more of their own. The score at the break was OC 5.3 to GG 2 goals straight. Coach Fragomeni was pleased that, as a group, we were playing to our team plan but disappointed with some of the unforced skill errors and lapses in concentration which allowed the Roos to score a couple of quick goals. He asked his players to continue the pressure and focus on how we disposed of the ball and not to think the wind advantage would do the work for us in the second quarter. The team responded, dominating the quarter by kicking another 5 goals while keeping the Roos scoreless. The midfield moved well together clearing the ball from centre breaks and delivering to a hungry forward-line, who were lining up to get in on the action. When the Roos did go forward, they were met by a solid Bombers backline lead by Revolution players KB and Kelly Nelson and captain Andy Lindsay. Half time and the score was the OC 10.6 to GG 2 goals. The 3rd quarter saw the Bombers again pushing into the wind, and coach Fragomeni re-inforced the need to run hard, retain possession, tackle fiercely, and restrict any advantage the Roos might take from the breeze. The Bombers responded well, again keeping the Roos scoreless while adding another 4 goals to the OC tally. At the 3rd quarter siren the score was OC 14.8 to GG 2 goals. At the final OC huddle the talk was all about finishing the game how we started, by supporting team-mates, using the ball well, breaking lines and using the wind advantage, but the Roos weren’t quite done with yet. A couple of quick goals took some of the gloss off what had been a very solid performance up to that point, but the coach made some changes and sent some strong messages out to the players who responded with an 8 goal last quarter. Final score OC 22.8 to GG 4 goals straight. “It was a good win, but we are not getting carried away. I'm pleased so far with our overall progress as a group but we still have a way to go yet and we have to continue to work hard towards preparing for the Nationals” said coach John Fragomeni after the game. “As a club I'm very impressed with how our second tier players have come on this season, and in particular our American players. The recruitment and development of our American guys has been an important focus for the Bombers over the past 6 months. We will continue to improve as we build from the bottom up. It’s our goal to develop depth and a solid foundation of footballers that can equally share the workload in games. Ultimately, local footballers are the lifeline of the game in the Qtr by qtr scores; Q1 – OC 5.3, GG – 2.0 Q2 – OC 10.6, GG – 2.0 Q3 – OC 14.8, GG – 2.0 Q4 – 22.8, GG – 4.0 Umpires
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