When Bathurst Bushrangers Rebels star Matt Archer went charging into the forward 50 in the closing stages on Saturday afternoon, Dubbo coach Will Bunt thought the game was all over.
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Archer, undoubtedly one of the best players in Central West AFL, was under little pressure and with his side trailing by just one point it seemed certain the Rebels were about to achieve a great escape at South Dubbo Oval.
But in the windy conditions Archer missed everything. The ball sailed out on the full and the Dubbo Demons held on to score a thrilling and massively important 11.10.74 – 10.15.75 victory.
“I’ve got a few more grey hairs now, it was unbelievable,” Bunt said.
“He (Archer) missed everything. He’s a superstar and the wind probably played a bit of havoc but it was bloody nerve-wrecking.”
Making the day even better for the Demons was the news Parkes had scored a shock win over the Bushrangers Outlaws.
Those results mean Dubbo has now moved into fourth spot and is on track to play finals with just two rounds remaining.
“The four-quarter consistency has eluded us for most of the year and we were fairly consistent for most of Saturday,” Bunt said.
“There were a couple of lapses but we kept pushing and it was really positive.
“Another good thing, and this is probably strange, but I don’t think we played that well.
“We beat the Rebels but I reckon we only played to 60 or 70 per cent of our potential.
“We worked hard but we let ourselves down at times with poor delivery and some poor decision making. I think there’s lots of improvement in us and that’s encouraging.
“If we can produce our best performance then I think any side would struggle to beat us.”
The Bathurst side, starting the weekend in second spot, stormed back into the contest late on as they got more desperate, but the Demons had led for the bulk of the second half.
After leading by seven after the first quarter, the Demons slipped in the second and the strong Rebels pack shot out and led 7.9.51 – 6.5.41 at the main break.
The third term was where the Demons took control.
Some clinical goal-kicking combined with immense pressure applied in defence helped the hosts claw back the lead heading into the final term.
“It was a really good effort and it was set up by defence,” Bunt said, adding the players were “ecstatic” after the win.
“They had more scoring shots than us but some of the behinds they kicked were forced by us and our defensive pressure.
“The back six really stood up.”
The likes of Liam Harnett, Mick Daley and Josh Darlow – who played on despite dislocating his shoulder at one point – were immense in defence while up front, Bevan Charlton-White booted five goals and Tom Budd chimed in with three.
“It’s a good balance because if ‘Bev’ plays well the pressure if off Tom but if ‘Bev’ is marked heavily then Tom comes into play more,” Bunt said.
“We’re lucky to have two such strong targets.”
The Demons travel to Bathurst next weekend for a massive clash with the Outlaws.
The two sides vying for fourth then each have a tricky end to the year. The Demons play the second-placed Bathurst Giants while the Outlaws play the likely minor premiers, Orange Tigers.
“If we win next weekend we can cement our spot but if we don’t it all comes down to the last round and could come down to percentages,” Bunt said.
“We can’t leave it up to someone else, we’ve got to do it ourselves and we started that on the weekend.”
Nick Guthrie
I started working at the Daily Liberal in 2013 and now hold the position of senior journalist. I cover all that's happening in sport in Dubbo and the wider western area and have a passion for doing so. If you've got a story that needs telling, reach out.
I started working at the Daily Liberal in 2013 and now hold the position of senior journalist. I cover all that's happening in sport in Dubbo and the wider western area and have a passion for doing so. If you've got a story that needs telling, reach out.
