Tears, joy as Bombers end winless run

The win was by the narrowest of margins and came almost a thousand days since the Bombers last tasted victory in 2019.

After a winless season in 2021, L-G coach Tim Brannan said the result against Huntly was huge for the club.

“It’s a pretty decent way to start the year, probably more so for the boys that have gone through hell and back,” Brannan said.

“There were a few players that have had a thousand days or so since they’ve won a game, so I was pretty excited for the fans as well, all the people that stuck by them and the guys who have stayed with the club. It was a pretty awesome feeling.

“To see the boys’ faces afterwards, there were some tears in the eyes of some of the players as well which just shows you how passionate they are for the club.

“It was awesome when that final siren rang and they knew they’d won the game, it was a big weight off some of the players’ shoulders who had stuck with the club through those tough times.”

Huntly started the clash off strong, jumping out to a 25-7 lead at quarter time.

Despite the fast start by the Hawks, their inaccuracy stopped their lead at the first break from being even greater, kicking 3.7 in the first term.

“They got the jump on us early, and they missed opportunities,” Brannan said.

“They probably could have been four or five goals up at quarter-time, but our boys’ pressure around the footy and when it went inside 50 was really good in the later part of the first quarter.”

Brannan’s side responded well, kicking nine goals to four over the next two quarters.

“In the second quarter we said stick to your guns and play percentage footy, and when we’re going inside 50 make sure we score rather than let it come back out,” he said.

“The boys stuck to their structure which we’ve been working on during pre-season and it all unfolded by the end of the game which was brilliant.”

L-G had a 10-point lead at three-quarter time, setting up a grandstand finish to end the game.

The Hawks rallied early in the quarter and jumped back in front by two kicks, only for the Bombers to narrow the margin before taking the lead through Azzopardi’s late goal.

Azzopardi was one of the stars for the Bombers, booting seven of L-G’s 13 goals. Brannan said Jobee Warde and Josh Hawken were two other stand-out performers on the day.

“Jobee Warde our ruckman was fantastic, and Josh Hawken across half-back was brilliant as well,” he said.

“Jobee plays as a ruckman but plays more like a midfielder as well, he had seven centre clearances off his own boot, he was amazing around the stoppages.”

L-G’s Billy Hawken kicked three goals, while Orion Downing snagged for majors for Huntly.

Brannan said the drought-breaking win will provide a huge boost to his side, especially so early in the season.

“It sets us up immensely,” he said. “There are a lot of challenges ahead of us, this is just the start.

“I think the boys knowing how to win again, I think is the major thing — they know they can win games of footy, it’s going to get the confidence right up there again.”

However, Brannan said there was still plenty of hard work to do this season.

"We have a tough road ahead that we need to work on. We don’t want to get too far ahead of ourselves,“ he said.

“There is a long, long way to go and there is going to be some more downs and a lot more ups as well.

For the time being at least, Brannan was savouring the win and had a special thank you for those at the club.

“With the fans and supporters and the committee, thanks for sticking with us – it’s all going forward from here.”