David HardingBombers' slim finals hopes
August 4th 2010 23:07
Sourced: The Mercury - The Voice of Tasmania
By BRETT STUBBS
LAUDERDALE'S finals fairytale remains alive but even the Bombers coach knows it is going to take a minor miracle for the club to see September action for the first time.
The Bombers recorded their fourth-straight win with an impressive 31-point victory over Burnie at windy and wild West Park on Saturday.
They are still two games outside the top six with only two rounds to go, but sixth-placed Glenorchy's hammering by Hobart means Lauderdale is still a chance, especially as it hosts the Magpies this Saturday.
"It is still alive there," Lauderdale coach Darren Winter said. "We will keep going down that road until we know we can't do it.
"Obviously, it is a pretty big ask to get there from a percentage point of view and a couple of games have to go our way and we have to have two big wins but realistically we think we are not going to get there."
Winter was wary of a Glenorchy team on the rebound following its humiliating 93-point thrashing by Hobart.
"It is not a good time to play Glenorchy after them getting thumped," he said.
"We probably didn't want them to get beat by that much actually, as they will come out pretty fired up I would imagine this week.
"But our destiny's in our own hands."
Only three Bombers had played at West Park before, and the game was marred by strong winds that made goal-kicking almost impossible.
Lauderdale could only kick nine goals from 25 shots, while for the home team it was even more embarrassing, with just three majors from 24 scoring attempts just 12.5 per cent.
The visitors led by six goals at the last change, but the Dockers were not out of the game coming home with the strong breeze.
However, Lauderdale kept Burnie goalless in the final term, impressing Winter.
"It was good to see them hold their nerve and run the ball pretty well, probably better than the previous three quarters," he said.
"We actually out played them in the last quarter which was pretty good. It was a very strong breeze.
"The confidence thing is a big thing. They get that belief they can play at this level. Because they are such strong runners, they back themselves in.
"Instead of just playing on their opponent, they think 'we are going to win this' and they have a crack. That is a huge difference."
By BRETT STUBBS
LAUDERDALE'S finals fairytale remains alive but even the Bombers coach knows it is going to take a minor miracle for the club to see September action for the first time.
The Bombers recorded their fourth-straight win with an impressive 31-point victory over Burnie at windy and wild West Park on Saturday.
They are still two games outside the top six with only two rounds to go, but sixth-placed Glenorchy's hammering by Hobart means Lauderdale is still a chance, especially as it hosts the Magpies this Saturday.
"It is still alive there," Lauderdale coach Darren Winter said. "We will keep going down that road until we know we can't do it.
"Obviously, it is a pretty big ask to get there from a percentage point of view and a couple of games have to go our way and we have to have two big wins but realistically we think we are not going to get there."
Winter was wary of a Glenorchy team on the rebound following its humiliating 93-point thrashing by Hobart.
"It is not a good time to play Glenorchy after them getting thumped," he said.
"We probably didn't want them to get beat by that much actually, as they will come out pretty fired up I would imagine this week.
"But our destiny's in our own hands."
Only three Bombers had played at West Park before, and the game was marred by strong winds that made goal-kicking almost impossible.
Lauderdale could only kick nine goals from 25 shots, while for the home team it was even more embarrassing, with just three majors from 24 scoring attempts just 12.5 per cent.
The visitors led by six goals at the last change, but the Dockers were not out of the game coming home with the strong breeze.
However, Lauderdale kept Burnie goalless in the final term, impressing Winter.
"It was good to see them hold their nerve and run the ball pretty well, probably better than the previous three quarters," he said.
"We actually out played them in the last quarter which was pretty good. It was a very strong breeze.
"The confidence thing is a big thing. They get that belief they can play at this level. Because they are such strong runners, they back themselves in.
"Instead of just playing on their opponent, they think 'we are going to win this' and they have a crack. That is a huge difference."
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