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Slick Bulldogs attack leave Bulls floundering

Sophie ElliottSouth Western Times
Calvin Thorne leads impressive Bulldogs first gamer Randall Hodgson to the football on Sunday afternoon.
Camera IconCalvin Thorne leads impressive Bulldogs first gamer Randall Hodgson to the football on Sunday afternoon. Credit: Sophie Elliott

It was a dog of a day for the Harvey Bulls on Sunday at Payne Park, with the Bunbury Bulldogs trouncing the visitors 11.18 (84) to 1.5 (11).

Conditions were clear for a good portion of the match, but this wasn’t enough to allow the Bulls to gain a foothold.

The Bulldogs dominated from the first bounce, slotting through four goals in the opening term while holding Craig Nicholls’ side scoreless.

Things would have been even worse for the Bulls had the home side converted more of their opportunities in front of goal.

The Dogs’ domination continued in the second quarter.

Harvey were simply no match at the clearances with the ball rarely making it inside their forward 50.

The Bulls’ two opportunities in the forward line sparked a moment of joy for their travelling supporters but this soon dissipated when only behinds were registered.

Spectators couldn’t help but feel for the Harvey defenders who were out-muscled by their opponents as they were fed an onslaught of possession from the Dogs midfield.

Big man Randall Hodgson, who stepped up from reserves to make his league debut, repaid Jamie Nani’s faith in him by bagging three goals for the match.

Going into the second half, the Bulls still remained goalless but they finally managed to secure reward for effort through Duncan Davis, who booted their solitary major for the afternoon.

The heavens opened late in the third term but the tough conditions didn’t impact on Bunbury’s slick performance.

Solid efforts from Bulls trio Jay Collard, Zak Italiano and Brandon Higgins were just not enough to match the smooth ball-handling and pin-point precision of the Bulldogs, who were still a lethal force despite missing a handful of star players.

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