Gallery | Bombers blast into grand final after 82-point demolition

Coach Corey Carver admitted it was a refreshing change.

“Something we haven’t been doing. We’ve traditionally been slow starters a little bit, so I just thought energy was high and we moved the ball really well,” Carver said.

“From the get-go, we moved the ball really swiftly and we defended really strong. Things just sort of clicked in the first quarter.”

The first break set the tone and, while the Eagles had their moments with the breeze, Kyabram’s defensive structures and ball use never wavered.

For Carver, the response carried extra weight given Mansfield had pipped them by a point in round 16.

“We said a few times, in both times we played them, they were really solid base defence and offence,” he said.

“We reviewed pretty strongly during the week just to make sure we were good to go against a really quality side. Once we were rolling and the energy was up we just had to maintain it, which we were able to do.”

Kyabram’s scoring dominance was lopsided across quarters.

The Bombers outscored Mansfield 89-7 in the first and third terms combined, but the second and fourth were actually a dead heat at 43 points apiece.

Carver wasn’t reading too much into that split.

“There was a breeze, so there’s probably a couple of goal breeze going one way, which would indicate that,” he said.

“We just had to defend really strongly, particularly into it. We were able to do that, which was good.”

The Bombers’ forward half was again led by Tom Holman, who bagged five goals.

His presence has been central to Kyabram’s finals surge.

“His form’s great. He’s playing really well at the right end of the year,” Carver said.

“His hands were good and, once he’s one-out against his opponent, he’s a pretty strong chance of marking it because he’s got such good hands.

“His forward craft’s good, his stoppage work in our forward 50 is really good as well. Hopefully he has one more game like that.”

Following the win, Kyabram earns a week off and, for Carver, it’s about recovery and preparation, not relaxation.

“Recovery early … then we’ll have a strong session Thursday with that weekend off. It’s all business along, certainly no rest,” he said.

“You just get a little advantage, those sore spots that guys have got, handy to have a week. It’ll be good for a couple of our older guys particularly.”

Whether it’s Rochester, or even Mansfield again, the Bombers know their next challenge won’t be straightforward.

But after an 82-point September statement, Kyabram looks every bit like a side ready to charge into another grand final.

Reserves

Earlier in the day, Kyabram’s reserves also booked a grand final place, defeating Seymour 11.9 (75) to 9.6 (60) in the qualifying final at Mooroopna Recreation Reserve on Sunday.

Neither side managed to earn much of a break throughout the game but strong scoring in the third quarter helped the Bombers break away to a game-winning lead.

In a balanced scoring performance, Zac Cerrone, Danny Miller, Sam Vick and William Wild all led Ky with two goals each.

“It was a good tough win, they were obviously a good side,” co-coach Sean Dillon said.

“We did beat them throughout the year, but I think they had 10 to 12 different players since we played them last time.

“We were probably the same, so it was a completely different side, but it was a good fought-out win.”

The top-level experience of Sam Sheldon was vital for the Bombers across halfback, Dillon also praising the performances of Cerrone, Brad Edwards, David Coulthard and Cooper Fawcett.

The glut of footballing talent at Kyabram this year has provided a challenge for Dillon and his co-coach Scott Hearn.

“We had big numbers at the start of preseason, so I think we had a list of like 35 to 37 players in the reserves alone,” Dillon said.

“You don’t hear of that very often, which is the sign of a good club, but it’s obviously made our job hard, too, especially coming into the pointy in the end of the year.

“There’s probably five or six blokes that missed out on the weekend, and there’s probably three to come back into the granny, so there could be seven or eight that miss out in the grand final.”

Thirds

Despite pushing Shepparton last week, the Bombers’ thirds crashed out of the finals in straight sets, unable to muster a victory against Mooroopna this week.

Kyabram had one foot in the prelim at three-quarter-time, albeit with a narrow lead, but the Cats ran over the top in the final term, scoring 32 to nine to win 10.13 (73) to 7.12 (54).

Tyler Norman and Isaiah Scoble kicked two goals each to lead Ky’s scoring.

“We put up an amazing effort (against Mooroopna), there were some key injuries in the first final that probably robbed us of the chance to maybe go further,” co-coach Peter Ryan said.

“I’m pretty proud of the boys; they did an amazing job, and they all played well in both finals.”

Ryan felt his side had opportunities both this week and last, but indicated a bright future for those within the playing group.

“We had a lot of the play in the third quarter kicking with the breeze and just couldn’t give ourselves a three- or four-goal lead,” he said.

“We’ve definitely had a successful year; there are a lot of talented kids.

“Hopefully they’ve enjoyed the year, and we just want them to go further in their football.

“That’s our job, to ensure they’ve got some experience and skills and hopefully they enjoy the game and keep going with it.”