Noble boss wants more

By Paul Pickering
NOBLE Park playing-coach Kris Barlow saw the best and worst of his charges in their inevitable win over Donvale on Saturday.
That may seem like a harsh appraisal of a side that won by 156 points, but the injured Noble boss conceded as much in his post-match conference with the players.
“We’ve got a lot to work on, but we’ve got a lot to work with,” Barlow told his Bulls in the rooms.
It was a concise assessment, given that the third-placed Bulls trailed a winless Donvale at the first break and showed only glimpses of their best footy throughout the afternoon.
Bulls skipper Daniel Donati stormed into the huddle breathing fire at quarter-time, before Barlow arrived to question the respect his players had given to the relegation-bound Magpies.
Noble was only down by five points, but it was the unaccountable and disorganised brand of footy that worried Barlow most.
“I didn’t think we showed them any respect at all,” he reflected after the match.
“It was all one-way footy. It was all about me – ‘how am I going to get on the end of one?’ – rather than the selfless attitude we’re looking for.”
The Bulls were stung into action in the second term, booting nine unanswered goals to stamp out any far-fetched notions of an upset.
With the result beyond doubt, Noble’s midfield ran rampant against an undersized and inexperienced Donvale engine room.
The Bulls shared the footy around – almost obsessively – in the second half, but it was Daniel Norman and Craig Anderson who proved most damaging with their possessions.
Renowned defender Adrian Little (three goals) relished an opportunity to go forward, combining well with the likes of Donati (five) and Dean Kelly (five) in the absence of injured spearhead Dave Velardo.
The class of half-back Daniel Rigg and the toughness of on-baller Robbie Ferraro were also on full display, but it was the performances of two first-gamers that caught the eye.
Geoff Humphries worked his way into the game across half-back before enjoying a run in the middle in the final quarter, while Matt Kitchen stepped in to bolster Noble’s depleted ruck stocks and showed some promise.
Ultimately, a 13-goal final term made the end scoreline flattering to the Bulls, but the post-match celebrations were understandably subdued.
Noble will now travel to Knox to face the seventh-placed Falcons this Saturday.
A win would almost certainly secure third spot and a double chance in the finals, because fourth-placed East Ringwood faces a tough task against the ladder-leading Tigers at Balwyn Park.