Newlyn's Nathan Skewes. PHOTO: LACHLAN BENCE.
Bungaree has cruised into a preliminary final after overpowering Newlyn by 32 points in yesterday’s semi-final.
An exceptional first half from the Demons saw them hold the Cats goalless until the third quarter, indicating that Bungaree might just be a dark horse in the race for the premiership.
It took until the 15th minute of the first quarter for either side to register a goal, with Bungaree forward Josh Brown finally hitting the scoreboard to get the ball rolling.
Bungaree piled on another goal to lead by 14 points at the first change, but more impressive was the speed of its ball movement, which appeared to have returned after an absence last weekend.
The second quarter was controlled by the Demons.
They locked the ball in their forward half with ease, and were simply impenetrable on the rare occasions that Newlyn managed to scrap the ball forward.
Bungaree midfielder Mitch Bruns was outstanding throughout the term, kicking two sublime goals to help his team extend its lead to 53 points at the main break.
When asked whether he was surprised with his team’s dominance in the first half, Bungaree coach Greg Middleton replied with an emphatic “no”.
“Some people might have been surprised, but I wasn’t,” he said.
“I knew we were good enough.”
Newlyn finally managed to register a major early in the third term, thanks to a brilliant effort from forward Nathan Skewes.
The goal sparked a mini-revival from the Cats, who won both the third and fourth quarters to finish the game competitively.
And while the loss ends Newlyn’s campaign, it is clear that the young Cats have a strong future ahead of them.
Joint coach Chris Gardner claimed that this season should be considered a stepping stone towards better things for Newlyn.
“It’s been a great effort, but we need to build on this success and improve further next year,” Gardner said.
After a disappointing result last weekend, the victory will give Bungaree confidence going into its preliminary final against Daylesford.
Its speedy ball movement, which has become a trademark of the Demons, was in full force and could prove a handful for the Bulldogs.
Middleton acknowledged that a grand final berth will be hard-earned, but claimed that his team can get there.
“I have enormous respect for Daylesford ... but I think we match up pretty well against them.
“On our day, I think we can beat them.”
The only sour note for Bungaree was the loss of important forward Jackson Murphy, who exited the game with a suspected broken collarbone.
