Gritty Saints down Bombers

A nailbiting upset victory was the perfect way to kick off another solid weekend of local football on Friday night, with the Saints managing to get their hands on this year’s NAIDOC trophy.

The Broome side played consistently across four quarters to get their second win of the season, edging out the Peninsula Bombers by 12 points.

It was a close encounter right from the very first bounce at Father McMahon Oval, with the Bombers scoring the first three goals of the night, before Johann Jack nailed one on the siren for the Saints, giving them some momentum going into quarter-time.

A quick goal by Angus Boult-Lyne in the second term seemed to open the floodgates for his side, with Michael Pigram soccering one through seconds later and Jack Reagan getting his name on the board. Liam McPhee booted a solid goal for the Saints and Boult-Lyne kicked another before Bart Djiagween settled things down for the Bombers and reduced the margin to 20 points heading into half-time.

Leigh Hislop scored the only goal for the Saints in a third quarter that swayed back towards the Bombers, mainly thanks to key forward Elijah Howard, who bagged a couple.

It was anybody’s game heading into the final term, and despite two big goals by Howard and a fighting spirit, it was not enough to get the Bombers over the Saints. A goal by Darren Howard in the dying minutes sealed the game for the Broome side, who celebrated only their fourth victory in the past three seasons.

Howard was joined by Pigram, Reagan, Scott McPhee and Kadin Bauer in being named the team’s best, while Tyson Cox, Kym O’Connell and Lyle Carter impressed for the Bombers.

Saints will look to keep their form going tomorrow night when they take on the Broome Bulls, while the Bombers will have their work cut out for them against the undefeated Bidyadanga Emus.