Pambula is back with a vengeance in the Sapphire Coast AFL after taking big wins against their classic rivals – Merimbula.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The Merimbula Diggers and Tathra Sea Eagles had risen to become the anticipated flag winners in the past couple of seasons, but the Panthers unleashed a devastating strike on Merimbula during Saturday’s local derby.
The Merimbula and Pambula-based clubs faced off in round one, but it was the Panthers stealing the show in the senior grade with a crushing 16-22-118 to 3-5-23 win.
The result was similarly one-sided in the ladies contest, but it was the first official outing for the Diggers women as a fledgling team in the competition.
The Panthers took the competition 15-11-101 to 1-1-7.
It was a similar story in the development grade with Pambula showing too much composure and ability with the ball to overrun their Merimbula counterparts.
However, the Diggers carried the torch in the junior contests, winning both the under 11s and under 13s matches with respectable margins over the Panthers.
The Diggers and the Panthers showed they are both two of the strongest and most consistent clubs within SCAFL, playing out matches across all grades with six massive games on Saturday.
The headline senior game favoured the visiting Pambula side from the outset as the Panthers kicked their way clear to a near 30-point lead at the first break, keeping Merimbula quiet with just two behinds.
The second quarter was more of the same as the Diggers found one solitary goal against the three kicked by the Panthers as well as a number of single-pointers.
It was the veterans leading from the front with multiple goals kicked by a number of Panthers and led by veteran Sean Smith, who snagged himself a triple.
Justin Pilgrim, Johnno di-Donatro, Kyle Tucker and Shannon Butterfield all fired a pair through the big posts each.
By the main break, Pambula’s lead was pushing 45 and it only got worse for the Diggers in the second half as the visitors pushed their advantage.
The Panthers fired through six goals to one in the third quarter with the hosts simply not having enough possession for shots on goal.
The Diggers launched a valiant fight back in the final quarter, stemming the flow of points from the Panthers as they only found the big sticks three times.
Unfortunately for Merimbula, the damage had already been done on the scoreboard with Pambula claiming wins in four of the six outings.
SCAFL round two pits Pambula against Tathra at Lawrence Park on Saturday, while the Diggers hit the road to meet the Narooma Lions at Bill Smyth Oval.
Senior games run on from 2.30pm at both grounds on the day.