Bulldogs hang on for victory

Updated November 2 2012 - 10:28am, first published August 31 2008 - 3:16pm

REIGNING premiers Daylesford kept their 2008 Central Highlands Football League finals campaign alive with a hard-fought win over 2007 runners-up Waubra.Shannon Mobbs sealed Daylesford's win with a kick on the siren as the Bulldogs held off a brave last quarter revival from Waubra in the first semi-final, eventually winning 14.9 (93) to 12.12 (84).Both sides played the game in traditional fashion, full of running and playing direct football.Waubra kicked the first goal of the match in the first minute thanks to Lee Brown, but Daylesford gained the lead and held it until the last term.The Roos came out filled with intensity, directed by Brown who led strongly from the goal square.Daylesford created seemingly endless run through the middle thanks to Mobbs, Clayton Scoble and Luke and Joel Adams.Andrew Button had early chances for Daylesford and took three attempts to score his first goal, but quickly followed up with a second.Scoble was left loose in the pocket to score Daylesford's third before John Coleman kicked a steadier for Waubra.Brown kicked his second for the match despite Bulldogs pressure in the backline forcing Waubra to rush its possession.In the second term Daylesford started to dominate the contests and Michael Cummings secured goal-of-the-day when he kicked his side's sixth with a soccer off the in-step of his foot from the pocket.Mobbs kicked a beautiful crumbing major before Brown and Coleman scored two quick goals for Waubra to cut the margin to five points.Button and Cummings responded with goals for the Bulldogs, but Waubra's Tim Mullane kept his side within two goals at the main break with a running goal from the centre.Mullane's goal was enough to keep the momentum in the Roos' favour in the third term, with Waubra getting the margin back to five points.Danny Liston, who had been influential, and Chris Bourke both copped heavy hits in contests as Waubra's turnovers began to prove costly.When Scoble kicked his second for the day, tempers flared and it resulted in Liston being sent from the ground for 15 minutes.Mark Molloy came off the bench for the Roos and kicked two goals in two minutes to get the margin to two point at the last break.Early in the last quarter Molloy and Coleman had chances to put Waubra in front, but skill errors in the Roos' defence allowed Cummings an opportunist's goal and the margin to be stretched to seven points.Enter Lee Brown.Brown kicked the next two goals of the match from set shots to put Waubra in front for the second time in the afternoon.Button restored the Bulldogs lead with his fifth goal of the match before Brown kicked his sixth at the 20-minute mark of the last quarter.Intensity and desperation lifted in the last 10 minutes with a number of heavy smothers and tackles.In the 26th minute, Joel Adams won a stoppage and kicked the Bulldogs into a two-point lead.Button had a chance to seal the match before Mobbs marked with seconds left on the clock. He goaled to ensure Daylesford's meeting with Learmonth in the preliminary final at Dunnstown on Saturday.

Subscribe now for unlimited access.

$0/

(min cost $0)

or signup to continue reading

See subscription options

Get the latest Ballarat news in your inbox

Sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date.

We care about the protection of your data. Read our Privacy Policy.