BFL ladder remains logjammed as Sunbury knocks off Bacchus Marsh
Finally fully fit, Sunbury defender James Cree kept Bacchus Marsh spearhead Jake Owen quiet to help the Lions secure a critical win.
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Responding to a humbling loss last week, Sunbury kept its finals dream alive with a 13-point win over eastern block rival Bacchus Marsh.
The Lions kicked just two goals last week against Redan but found their scoring touch in their return to Clarke Oval on Saturday.
The 11.10 (76) to 9.9 (63) victory is Sunbury’s third highest score of the season and keeps them in touch with the Ballarat league top six, now just a game behind Redan in sixth.
The ladder remains congested with one win separating third-placed East Point from Lake Wendoree in ninth.
“It’s so even but you can lose touch quickly, so it was a significant win for us,” Sunbury coach Travis Hodgson said.
“We’re percentage out of finals but we’re only one win off third.
“We won our first game against Darley and then lost to Melton and we haven’t been square since, so next week shapes as a huge game to get ourselves to 5-5.
“Bacchus Marsh are renowned for never going away, so it was a good win, we were in a similar position last week and coughed that one up.
“With a young group, you do get a lot of confidence from winning those games that are in the balance at three-quarter time.”
Alec Goodson and Luke Goater both booted three goals but James Cree was best-on-ground shutting down Cobras captain and star forward Jake Owen.
Cree has been dogged by injury since arriving at the Lions in 2019, breaking his ankle in his second game and overcome two wrist injuries this season.
After celebrating his wedding last week there was no honeymoon for Owen, held goalless for the first time this season.
“James was terrific, he played on Jake Owen, who’s one of the premier forwards in the competition,” Hodgson said.
“He’s had a terrible run with injury since he joined us in 2019 but we’ve got a lot of faith in him … Owen’s probably four inches taller than him but he completely nullified him, he only had one shot.
“Jake’s so good one v two, one v three but Jimmy was one out against him a lot during the day and on top of that he gave us a bit of drive the other way too.”
Riley Miller, Haydn Ross and newly appointed skipper Daniel Toman also impressed for Sunbury, while Tom Wardell, Nick Stuhldreier and Lachlan Christopher were Bacchus Marsh’s best.
Sunbury will look to square its when it hosts Lake Wendoree on Saturday.
The Lakers were no match for Melton but Hodgson knows his team face a tough task in a critical time of the season.
“We spent a bit of time away because of COVID so we’ve got four in a row at home, it’s a crucial block for us to string a few together, he said.
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“Lake Wendoree are in a similar position to us ladder wise, who ever loses is in danger of dropping off the back (of the pack). It’s a mini final for us really.
“They’re always a good running side, so they won’t be disadvantaged by playing at Clarke Oval.”
The Lions will be without Michael Edwards for the clash after he suffered a concussion against Bacchus Marsh.
The Cobras will look to bounce back against second-placed Melton at Maddingley Oval.
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