Dogs Tarra-fying

Source: - Wangaratta Chronicle - 28 July 2008

Five straight 100-point plus wins leaves Bulldogs in box seat for flag

Written by SCOTT ANDERSON.

TARRAWINGEE’S 187-point demolition of King Valley on Saturday left few Ovens and King Football League fans in doubt over the Bulldogs’ premiership credentials.

Just a week after the Roos defied their bottom of the ladder standing to knock off Milawa, the Bulldogs were quick to snuff out any chance of a second boilover, punishing King Valley with 7.5 to 0.1 in the first term.

Despite King Valley’s best efforts, the traffic continued to be somewhat one way thereafter, with Tarrawingee piling on 10 goals to three in the second quarter.

With Brendan Sessions struggling, Rory O’Keefe moved to full forward with an immediate impact, and midfielders Brad Miller and Adam Clark were dominant.

Tarrawingee coach Mick Wilson was surprised his side was so far ahead, with the Roos continuing to battle.

"We were playing pretty well, but in the second quarter King Valley kept up with us for inside 50s," he said.

"They were unlucky to miss a few shots, and we had a number of different players chipping in up forward, so that made a difference.

"Rory O’Keefe went from centre half back to help out in the forward line, and he got a few."

Already leading by 91 points at halftime, the Bulldogs refused to take it easy on their opponents after the break, with Sessions lifting to combine spectacularly with Tim Wood in attack to keep the scoreboard ticking over at a frenetic rate.

Tarrawingee added an impressive 11.5 in the third quarter to not only blast King Valley right out of the contest, but also send shudders down the spines of a number of the Bulldogs’ potential rivals come the finals.

"Sessions started to get his hands on a few, and Wood was another to play an important role," Wilson said.

"We like to have a good number of players who can go down forward just to make it less predictable.

"Wood has carried a number of injuries throughout the year, and he’s starting to come good.

"He’s a player who has had that experience at senior level in the Ovens and Murray, and we’re expecting him to get better as we head into the finals."

Some of the heat drifted from the match as Tarrawingee cruised through the final period to record a massive 34.20 (224) to 5.7 (37) win.

Sessions finished with nine goals, taking his season tally to 111, with 60 of those coming from the past seven matches.

Sessions now requires a further 22 goals over the Bulldogs’ three remaining home and away matches to overtake former Moyhu spearhead Shane Moore’s record tally of 132 set during the 2005 season.

Moore had a quiet finals series that year, and ended with 137, which is the overall record for goals kicked by one player in a year.

Sessions once again enjoyed plenty of back up on Saturday, with Wood adding seven goals of his own after starting on the bench, and O’Keefe booting five in a best on ground display.

Tarrawingee has now won 15 matches in a row - a club record - and its past five by more than 100 points each - a feat no other team has achieved in the history of Ovens and King football.

Milawa won four in a row by over 100 points on its way to winning the 1985 flag - yet another good omen for the Bulldogs.

Meanwhile, Milawa posted a big win over second-placed Whorouly at the Norm Minns Oval on Saturday, setting the scene for a highly anticipated contest when the Demons host the Bulldogs in five days time.