Bulls coach Mick Fogarty is itching for
By Paul Pickering
A CLINICAL Scoresby sent Noble Park back to the drawing board on Saturday, humbling the Bulls for the second time this season.
The home-town Magpies flicked the switch after halftime, kicking 14 goals to Noble’s four in the second half on their way to a 63-point victory.
In doing so, they snapped Noble Park’s six-game winning streak and all but secured the minor premiership.
Bulls coach Mick Fogarty later admitted that the Noble brains trust had some work to do on unlocking Scoresby’s much-vaunted cluster zone in time for September.
The visitors had their chances early, but frittered away some gilt-edged scoring opportunities while kicking with the wind in the opening term.
A return of 1.8 was never going to cut it against the ladder leaders, who must have been delighted with a two-point quarter-time lead.
A spirited second-quarter showing kept the Bulls within four points at the main break, but it was all downhill from there.
Scoresby kicked 7.6 to Noble’s 2.4 against the breeze in the third and drove home the advantage with another seven in the last.
It was an all-too-familiar tale for Noble, which surrendered a three-point half-time lead over the Pies to go down by 45 in their previous meeting at the Bullring in June.
“We had our opportunities in the first quarter to put some scoreboard pressure on Scoresby, and we haven’t been able to do that in the two meetings,” Fogarty said.
“But we didn’t work enough (in the second half). We didn’t play smart, guys fell away from their roles and, to Scoresby’s credit, they took advantage.”
The successful return from injury of full-back Tim Davison was among few positives for the Bulls, who also received strong contributions from classy utility Stewart Kemperman, ruckman Glen Manson and defenders Craig Jacotine, Jarrod Plymin and Tim Kelly.
Fogarty said Scoresby had earned the right to claim flag favouritism, but he was still confident that the Bulls could turn the tables come finals time.
“They’re very well structured and try to suffocate you with that Hawthorn-style zone, (but) I’m hoping that the bigger grounds (in the finals) can suit our run-and-carry style and ball movement,” he said.
“We desperately want to have another crack at Scoresby.”
The Bulls, who slipped behind Balwyn and into third place, will host fifth-placed Croydon in another finals-shaping encounter this Saturday.
