Broome Bulls punish wayward early Towns attack in Sam Ellies Shield win

The Broome Bulls men cast aside a wayward early flourish from the cellar-dwelling Towns to notch a 56-point win, 11.10 (76) to 2.8 (20), and claim the Sam Ellies Shield at Father McMahon Oval on Friday night. Towns looked poised early as they sought their first win for the season, locking the ball deep in attack for much of the opening stanza. The game could have been a whole lot different had Towns capitalised on their early dominance and set the tone for the match. They were let down by poor luck and poor execution, though, on their way to slotting six behinds from six shots to open the game. That inability to punish the Bulls on the scoreboard hurt as Reegan Mrsich and one other player slotted majors from easy shots down the other end. Mitchel Blackley provided an early highlight for Towns with a huge tackle on his defensive 50m line as the Bulls looked to keep the pressure on. That helped Towns reset and they soon found passage down the middle where the Bulls were allowing easy metres through a failure to man up. It was a different story out on the right wing where the Bulls looked to play much of the game, however, as Chandler Borg and James Ditchburn worked in tandem to run rings around their opposite numbers. It was only a matter of time before that sheer weight of possession took its toll, however, and after the main break the Bulls clicked up a gear.