Tenacious Central District snatch win right at the death against South Adelaide at Hickinbotham Oval
JUST what the 10-point victory over South Adelaide at Hickinbotham Oval meant to Central District was reflected in the actions of Bulldogs’ coach Roy Laird.
JUST what the 10-point victory over South Adelaide at Hickinbotham Oval meant to Central District was reflected in the actions of Bulldogs’ coach Roy Laird.
Not known for advertising too much emotion, Laird left the coaching box in the final minute to be on the boundary with his players when the siren sounded on only the Bulldogs’ fourth victory (84-74) for the season.
Central was on the ropes when classy Panthers forward Brett Eddy nailed his fifth goal on the three-quarter siren to stretch the home side’s advantage to 17 points.
But the Bulldogs showed tremendous passion and fight in the final quarter to snatch the win.
“It is a bit of a confirmation at what we think we are starting to build,” Laird said. “There is genuine spirit in the group and this is the first time we have had a deficit at three-quarter time and won for a long time.
“We won’t celebrate or be rapt that we have done something out of the ordinary because this performance is not above our expectation.”
The first half was a tight, intriguing contest. Both sides coughed up mistakes but there was plenty of enthusiasm for the battle as momentum swung back and forth.
Ruckman Keegan Brooksby dominated the stoppages for the Panthers, Nick Liddle was lively around the packs, Eddy was a headache for the Bulldogs defence and Adam Gulden was outstanding across half back.
Despite being wasteful with their disposal at times, the Panthers seemingly had control of the game in the third term. The Bulldogs coughed up undisciplined acts and numerous skill errors under pressure from the Panthers to be on the backfoot.
Bulldogs captain Paul Thomas, Travis Schiller and Trent Goodrem were honest in their attack on the contest but they had too many teammates not impacting.
When they met in round four, the Bulldogs blew the two premiership points. This time it was the Panthers’ turn to fail to deliver the knockout blow and squander a prime winning opportunity.
“These are frustrating games,” Panthers’ coach Brad Gotch said. “When you keep them within striking distance, you leave yourself exposed to that sort of finish.
“In the end, they just wanted it more, they lifted and their players did a really good job.”