Promising signs for new-look Bulldogs in AFL trial

A late fightback from the Gunnedah Bulldogs narrowly failed to produce an unlikely victory in last Saturday’s senior AFL trial match at Wolseley Park.

Fellow AFL North West team the Tamworth Kangaroos held a handy lead throughout the match before finishing a mere one point in front as the Bulldogs kicked a goal right on full-time.

The players never paid attention to the score throughout the game as the scoreboard wasn’t used, and it was only at full-time that the teams realised how tight the result was.

Although the exact scoring details were not confirmed, the Kangaroos apparently kicked 6.11.47 to Gunnedah’s 7.4.46.

The visitors could have had a much bigger lead had their kicking been more accurate, particularly in the first quarter as they landed two majors and six behinds before the hosts opened their account with a major in the shadows of quarter-time.

Daniel Pass landed a great goal for the hosts in the second term but Gunnedah’s only other score in this period was a behind, as the Kangaroos progressed to a four-goal lead.

The margin was 19 points with one term remaining, and then the visitors kicked a goal before the hosts landed two majors in just two minutes.

Bulldogs player-coach Jakob Vearing kicked multiple majors in the final term, and was upbeat afterwards about his team’s showing.

After the coach expected a squad of about 18, the Bulldogs fielded 21 players although Peter McCormack exited in the early stages after rolling his ankle.

Vearing said it was apparent in the first 10 or 20 minutes that the revamped Gunnedah outfit was missing senior players such as Adam Curgenven and Andy Mack.

“We sort of lacked those real reliable focal points up the middle, but new blokes and old blokes alike all stood up and had their moments,” he said.

“I can only assume that that frequency’s going to pick up as their confidence grows.”

Vearing said it was evident that cohesion was starting to form.

“I said to the boys after half-time we had transition goals, so we had full field coast-to-coast goals and they’re the hardest thing to coach,” he said.

“It’s pretty easy just to have a forward set play, some bloke that’s relied on kicking five or six goals and obviously your half forwards and everything’s just relied on kicking those goals.

“But if we can transition from one end of the ground to the other quite cleanly and capitalise with the running goal, that’s honestly the last step of your game, so for us to have that, it’s going to be pretty easy to sort out the forward line in due time.”

Vearing said “fitness will come” and that it was a telltale thing in this trial fixture.

“We ran our midfield quite heavy and hard. Those boys did a lot of work,” he said.

“It’s going to take a little while to translate into that match fitness.

“But also to have those running supports coming off the back line, and that just takes confidence to be able to run off your man from that half back line.

“Once we have that, there’s going to be a little bit more cohesion through the middle, and we’re just going to get the ball up around a lot better and a lot more reliably in transition.”

The Bulldogs are already preparing for their next trial fixtures, which will be their final hit-outs before their season proper starts.

This Saturday, the Bulldogs will play a series of games at Dubbo while opposing teams are likely to include Dubbo, Parkes, and possibly Tumbarumba.

With the games likely to involve 20-minute halves, Vearing said he expected “hard and fast football” and that he looked forward to it.