Bulls charge at finals

– Marc McGowan
NOBLE Park prepared for its coming top-of-table battle with Vermont with a tight 19-point victory over East Burwood in Division One Eastern Football League action at Pat Wright Oval on Saturday.
With East Burwood still in the race for the finals, Bulls playing coach Shane Burgmann was expecting the strong resistance the Rams provided.
Noble Park could have led by more at quarter-time, but inaccuracy in front of goal let the Bulls down, nine scoring shots managing just three goals. It was a trend that continued and was not only evident in the goalkicking.
“The skills on both sides weren’t flash,” Burgmann said. The Bulls managed to extend the advantage in the second term to take the lead out to 22 points at the long break.
The second half was a tight affair and the Rams had the edge in both quarters but only cut the half-time margin by three points by the end.
The Bulls were paced by Nathan Tiberi, who continued his outstanding form to feature in the best for the fourth time in the past five matches.
“He’s playing really well, growing in confidence each week,” Burgmann said.
David Velardo, Shane Fraser and Craig Anderson all kicked two goals to be the team’s leading goalkickers. But attention quickly turned to the Vermont blockbuster, almost certainly a grand final preview.
“We’re as ready as we can be,” Burgmann said. “We’ll be trying not to make it a shootout because they have got some quality forwards and midfielders.”
Darren Walsh, Daniel Kennedy and Mark Williams were the only regular Bulls still on the sidelines and were expected to return soon.