Above: Craig Anderson pumps the Bulls into attack on Saturday.
By Paul Pickering
A BARNSTORMING second-quarter goal blitz has thrust Noble Park into the Eastern Football League Division One grand final, relegating reigning premier Vermont to a preliminary final play-off against Balwyn.
While the Bulls’ 26-point win hasn’t quite knocked the mighty Eagles from their lofty perch at the top of the league, it has gone a long way towards lifting the veil of supremacy that has shrouded Vermont in recent years.
On Saturday, it was a simple directive from Bulls’ coach Shane Burgmann that turned a misguided first quarter – and 10-point deficit – into a polished and systematic seven-goals-to-one onslaught in the second term.
“In the first quarter we weren’t using the corridor, we were taking it too wide,” Burgmann said.
“Vermont was getting numbers back and clogging up the corridor, so it was just a matter of straightening up and moving the ball quicker.”
Sure enough, Noble’s refocused midfield – led by Robbie Ferraro, Kris Barlow and Craig Anderson – broke the game open in the second stanza, thrusting the ball forward to the likes of Aaron Cole (three goals) and Daniel Kennedy (two).
The Bulls’ reward was a 26-point half-time lead – a margin they would maintain until the final siren.
Vermont’s sustained efforts to cut into the deficit in the second half were thwarted by the Bulls’ relentless pressure and gut running, typified by a best-on-ground performance from wingman Daniel Norman.
Meanwhile, Barlow again treated Bayswater Oval as his own personal playground, gathering a swag of possessions to complement his four goals.
As predictable as Barlow’s dominance was, the performance of 19-year-old finals debutant Nick Williams upon promotion from the reserves must have caught the Eagles by surprise.
With a mature display from half-back on Saturday, Williams has thrown his hat into the ring for a grand final berth on 22 September.
In the meantime, the Bulls will enjoy their first weekend off since April’s season opener.
Despite accounting for the Eagles twice in a month, Burgmann was reluctant to write off the reigning premiers.
“Vermont is the yard stick for the competition, and we’re trying to build our club up to that,” he said.
Respect aside, though, it is clear that this Vermont side now holds no fears for the in-form Bulls.
“We believe we can beat them in the big games and we’ve done if before,” Burgmann said.
“That’s what makes it such a great contest.”
If the Eagles are to squeeze past Balwyn on Saturday, as most would expect, the stage will indeed be set for an epic replay of last year’s grand final – with the Bulls poised to exact the ultimate revenge.
