Kyabram’s chances of competing in its thirteenth successive GVL finals series were given a timely boost on Saturday when the Bombers outplayed the Shepparton Swans.

It was payback time in the game at Kyabram after the Swans had run all over the Bombers in the second half in a second round clash earlier in the season.

But this time there was no Swans fightback with the Bombers setting up a 34-point win, 14.14 to 9.10, in the first quarter when they kicked five goals while holding the visitors to two.

They held this buffer all game, although there were signs of ‘no not again’ when the Swans kicked three of the first four goals at the start of the third term

But the Bombers quickly regained their poise and, with most of their star players rising to the occasion, regained the initiative and saw off every other challenge the Swans threw at them for the remainder of the game.

Ruck ace Zac Norris and other onballers and midfielders Kaine Herbert, Coby McCarthy, Josh Dillon, Riley Ironside and Jack Russell took control and the defence led by Jason Morgan and Brad Whitford was solid all game and difficult to penetrate.

Cooper Vick and Aaron Hayes were also solid in the Bombers’ backline.

Norris is enjoying a stellar season and must be piling up the Morrison Medal votes.

Whitford and co-skipper Aiden Robinson were welcome inclusions in the Kyabram side off injuries and added a lot of stability to the team.

But stars from the previous week’s narrow defeat by Seymour, young gun Charlie Isaac and defender Jake Parkinson, plus Ben Railton joined the injury list and didn’t play.

Kyabram had a go-to target in its forward line in the classy Rhys Clark who kicked five goals and missed as many, while Robinson, Riley Ironside and Mac Ayton were all multiple goalkickers who applied scoreboard pressure on the visitors.

Co-coach Corey Carver described it as a ‘‘good win.”

“We were better for longer than them and our pressure was good again,” he said.

Carver said the lesser lights in the Kyabram side, Jack Sinclair and second gamer Danny Miller, were other positives out of his team’s win.

“Jack is getting better each game and Danny put in hard in his second game,” Carver said.

The win lifted Kyabram from sixth to fifth spot on percentage on the ladder, equal on premiership points with Shepparton United, Rochester and Mooroopna.

It has a lot healthier percentage than all these finals aspirants.

With Rochester to meet this Saturday before a general bye for the interleague game and Echuca, Shepparton and Mansfield to tackle in their last five home-and-away games, the Bombers will probably need to win four of them to win a finals spot if they falter at Rochester.

Jake Parkinson suffered a leg break against Seymour and is unlikely to play again this season, but live wire small man Reuben Rode, defender Jack Sheldon, young gun Charlie Isaac and goalkicking forward Anthony Depasquale could all make comebacks in the run to the finals.

My best for Kyabram on Saturday were Jason Morgan, Zac Norris, Rhys Clark, Kaine Herbert, Brad Whitford, Coby McCarthy and Riley Ironside.

Reserves

Kyabram reserves bounced back from their second defeat of the season the previous week to celebrate team favourite Brenton Brasier’s 100th game in style.

The big ruckman celebrated the occasion with a best on ground performance.

He got a lot of support from his skipper and fellow ruckman Jayden Fitzgerald while Noah Ryan, Sean Dillon and Hunter Fawcett were other key prime movers for the Bombers.

Classy forward Jarryd Pertzel was busy and dangerous again in the forward line with a five-goal haul.

He was well supported by young talent Tom Bruhn who proved elusive and booted four goals.

The Kyabram defence, led in fine fashion by Zac Parkinson, leaked only seven goals in the convincing 47 point win, with several thirds players again called up to make up the numbers, but doing more than that.

One of these players, Mitch Wilson, caught the eye with some talented plays.

Kyabram holds second place from Shepparton with a much healthier percentage but faces a danger game this Saturday against fourth placed Rochester.

Under-18s

Kyabram thirds had an 83 point win on the back of a goalkicking clinic from classy Jedd Turpin.

Turpin, almost unbeatable in the one-on-one duels, booted eight of the Bombers’ 13 goals.

Another class player in Isaiah Scoble helped himself to four goals while ruckman Tom Savage, midfielder Tyler Doolan and James Hargreaves off half back were the players who provided most of the chances for the team’s forwards to kick a healthy and winning score.

Bombers coach Mark Patten said the win was the result of another good team effort, with every player doing their bit.

Kyabram held third place on percentage from Mooroopna with the win, with these two sides holding a two game buffer on the ladder over the fifth placed side.

The Bombers expect to have key playmakers Cooper O’Neill and Archie Backway back after the league’s general bye on Saturday week.

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Sunday, 26th October 2031

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