THE Bega Bombers came very close to upsetting the Sapphire Coast AFL (SCAFL) leading Pambula Panthers on Monday night.
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A catch up game for the washed out round one clash came near to toppling the Panthers’ perfect season.
Bombers senior coach Matt Fleet said he was proud of his squad’s effort against the undefeated Panthers.
“They played fantastically the boys, they turned up and were hard at the football.”
However, the Panthers escaped unscathed with a margin of about 30 points.
“We were a bit undisciplined in the second quarter and they scored four or five goals on us,” Fleet said.
“That could have been the deciding factor.”
The round was played on Monday night as it couldn’t interfere with representative games, but was also the only bye round for both clubs.
“We negotiated and agreed on Monday night, it gave Pambula time to back up for their game against Narooma this weekend.”
Adam Blacka provided a standout performance, while Scott Hay, who won best on ground during the rep clash, backed up again.
“Just a couple of days after his run in the Stingrays game he was almost best on ground again,” Fleet said.
“Nathan Carpenter and Joey Gehrig were at their best on the night and Mitch Bucholtz kicked a few goals.”
Meanwhile, Fleet described Todd Ingram as a “rhino” for his tackling ability and fierce displays.
Despite the loss, the club is looking at the improvements week-to-week.
“Pambula beat us by more than 100 points in the pre-season, 60 not long ago and only 30 on Monday,” Fleet said.
“You can see the improvement every week.”
The team was well-supported by a vocal crowd and the club thanked everyone for turning out in spite of the frosty conditions.
“A huge thank you to the crowd for turning up in the conditions.
“Our crowd is the best crowd.”
The Bombers have a bye this weekend, but are using the opportunity to rest injuries and train before taking on the Breakers at Bega next weekend.
“We’ll have Aaron Wheatley and Chris Dwyer back to take on Bermagui at home next weekend,” Fleet said.
“And if I’m not back then, it will be the next week against Eden.”
The club will have a “full card” of games, with four matches to be played next Saturday.
Games will run from about 10am until 5pm.
“Bring the kids and the whole family, it will be a great day of footy,” Fleet said.
Meanwhile, the club is holding a casserole night on Wednesday at the Bega Showground for the State of Origin game three clash.
“We’ll have the game on the big screen and $5 will get you as much as you can eat.
“There will be drinks available at the canteen from about 6pm onwards.”