EFL: South Croydon holds out fast-finishing Blackburn to score a three-point win
SOUTH Croydon was left to withstand a final quarter onslaught for the second consecutive week, only this time the Bulldogs came out on the right side of the result.
Local Footy
Don't miss out on the headlines from Local Footy. Followed categories will be added to My News.
SOUTH Croydon was left to withstand a final quarter onslaught for the second consecutive week, only this time the Bulldogs came out on the right side of the result.
South Croydon was again involved in a shootout on Saturday after the Round 3 goalfest against Doncaster, prevailing by three points over Blackburn at Morton Park.
Trailing by 24 points at the final change, the Burners piled on five goals to two in the last quarter only to fall to a 17.11 (113) to 17.8 (110) defeat.
The win kept South Croydon in touch with the top five with a 2-2 record, while Blackburn slipped to 1-3 after the opening month of the Eastern Football League Division 1 season.
Jake Tucker kicked five goals to be the Bulldogs’ best player, but perhaps the three Chandler Medal votes will go to Jake Hammond.
The star Burners forward slotted six majors in his best showing of the season.
South Croydon coach Luke McCormick said he was breathing a sigh of relief after the win knowing his side had dodged a bullet.
“We were very lucky in the end, like we did in Round 1 (against Noble Park), good teams still find a way to win but they were coming hard,” McCormick said.
“Even though it is only Round 4, it is super important to stay in touch early otherwise you are playing catch up.”
The Bulldogs are playing freewheeling and high-scoring football but also conceding an average of 104 points a game, the highest in the competition.
“We want attack, we want to play enjoyable footy and play attacking footy but at the same time we don’t want it to be a shootout,” McCormick said.
“We’ve got to arrest that, that’s for sure, we’re happy to score, that’s by design, but at the same time we don’t want them to be shootouts.”
The result was soured by a knee injury to Ben McDonald, with the club hopeful he was not suffered a medial strain.
South Croydon’s next assignment will be against Norwood on Saturday at Cheong Park.
10 players drafted: Where are the 2022 Sandringham Dragons now?
A Norm Smith Medal, an AFL club best and fairest and plenty more to come – the 2022 Coates Talent League premiers could go down as one of the best underage sides ever. We take a look at where they are now.
‘One step off brain damage’: Inside Goldsmith’s harrowing concussion case
Rory Goldsmith’s premiership celebrations took a twist in September after a serious concussion led him down a confronting and ultimately life-changing path. He shares his story with TYLER LEWIS.