Zebs fall short to the Bombers in the wet
29/07/2024
Photography by Sean Pualic
The sun broke between the clouds as the Zebs ran out at Windy Hill to take on the Essendon VFL side. The pre-match warm-ups were littered with showers so the ground was wet underfoot and the ball was sure to slip and slide on the surface.
We hit the front early as a burst of speed from Hugo Hall-Kahan broke the Bombers’ defensive line. He hit up Sam Latreille running towards goal, it was our first of the afternoon and the perfect start. With Essendon unable to put damage on the scoreboard with wayward kicking, we capitalised courtesy of Oliver Lowe and Tarkyn O’Leary. Then the rain came and with that, the cleanliness took a dive. The game shifted towards the contest and repeat stoppages.
The Bombers adjusted at quarter-time and brought the score back to parity. We were unable to score a goal in the second yet we did have our chances that went begging. After a tough and draining term, we looked to regather at the main break.
The third started off with a bang. A quick goal to Hugo Hall-Kahan backed up by Oliver Lowe’s second for the afternoon broke us out to a 13-point lead seven minutes into the quarter. The game then tightened up, with neither midfield able to stamp authority in the centre of the ground which resulted in a goalless 15 minutes. The Bombers finished a surge and took the lead before minor scores gave us a singular point lead at the final break.
We kicked the first of the final term after a set shot goal to Blake Watson. Essendon responded with a couple of goals, giving them the lead. Both teams traded multiple goals, with Max Heath and Ollie Lowe keeping us in the fight. A flurry of goals to the Bombers put the pressure on the Zebs to produce a last-minute surge. Angus Hastie stood up to the call, kicking his first, however the siren caught up with us.
Arie Schoenmaker was rock-solid in defense with 29 disposals, 22 kicks and five marks. The combination of Max Heath and Tom Campbell once again proved the goods with 18 and 24 hitouts respectively and combining for 15 clearances. Hugo Garcia was giving it his all in the heat of battle, with 15 tackles and 18 disposals. Oliver Lowe was our standout performer in-front of goals with three majors to his name.
Sandringham Zebras 3.0 3.2 5.6 9.8 (62)
Essendon Bombers 0.5 2.6 4.11 9.13 (67)
The Zebras have a bye this week before returning in Round 20 to face Richmond at the Swinburne Centre, Sunday 11th August at 11:05am.
For full match replays and stats, head to the AFL/VFL website or the VFL App.
Written by Tom McQuillan - Sandringham FC Media