They ended up on the wrong side of the scoreboard, but it was certainly a step in the right direction taken by Dederang-Mount Beauty’s senior football side against Beechworth on Saturday. Despite going down by 80 points after four gruelling quarters, the travelling Bombers, who have dealt with a swag of heavy losses throughout the season, put up a great fight going head-to-head with the perennial finalists, who are rarely seen outside the top five teams. The 6.1 (37) to 17.15 (117) scoreline doesn’t tell the whole story of the game played in wintery Beechworth conditions. The Bombers kicked three goals in the first term and took the game right up to the more-fancied Bushrangers, who slotted five themselves in a high-scoring opening quarter. DMB ran out of legs in the final term and let the margin drift, conceding five goals to nil late in the game. Skipper Jacob Ozolins led from the front in more ways than one with a season-best three-goal haul and took his usual place amongst his side’s best players. Ricky Clarke, as well as playing co-coaches Jaydn Chalmers and Tom McGhee, did their best around the footy to influence the result. Finn Kernaghan, Isaac Sullivan and Cameron Walch also hit the scoreboard with majors. The Bombers’ reserves outfit had a good look at victory as they trailed by only a goal at three quarter time after a comeback in the third term, but the game ended in a 31-point loss. On the netball court, Dederang Mount-Beauty’s A grade netballers survived a scare against Beechworth, with the four premiership points sealed after a 27-20 win. Up by five at half time, the Bombers were relatively in control of the game before the Bushrangers ate into the lead to bring the margin back to four goals with one quarter remaining. The finals-bound Bombers held their nerve and the lead to claim their eleventh win of the season, and even managed to jump into fourth position on the TDNA league ladder courtesy of Thurgoona’s loss to Chiltern. With their own 11-4 win-loss record to be proud of, the B grade Bombers find themselves in third spot, but face three top-five sides on the run home and may need to win at least two matches to guarantee a date with Sandy Creek. With three rounds to go in the regular season, DMB are on the road again to Mitta.
