A pair of Leitchville-Gunbower talents earned big wraps from Bendigo Pioneers coach Danny O’Bree after the Talent League side claimed a hard-fought victory over the highly fancied Gippsland Power.
Oskar Smartt claimed best-on-ground honours for his three-goal, 16-disposal performance in the 10.9 (69) to 7.10 (52) win over the Power in round four, with O’Bree lauding the young Bombers product for his “breakout” performance.
“Oskar Smartt was clearly best-on-ground for me,” O’Bree said.
“It was his breakout game and something that he was threatening for quite a while.
“I think the writing was on the wall on Tuesday night at training, he was just airborne, and he carried it through to Sunday.
“I was super impressed with him.”
The Pioneers jumped out of the blocks with a four goal to one behind first term, slamming home seven goals to two in the first half before withstanding a final quarter challenge from Gippsland.
Smartt’s Leitchville-Gunbower teammate James Barrat has booted five goals in his first two games since making his debut, but it was down back where he made his impact against the Power.
“James Barrat was exceptional,” O’Bree said.
“We swung him to full back and he was maybe 10cm smaller than every opponent he played on and he didn’t get beaten all day.
“For a bottom-age player playing on giants, we were really proud of him.”
Echuca United’s Oli Poole’s strong start to the season continued with 20 disposals and nine tackles, while Moama’s Jobe Shanahan was in the goals with two majors for the day.
The Pioneers now sit third with a 3-1 win-loss record.
“It was probably their best effort for the year so far,” O’Bree said.
“We rate Gippsland highly; we thought if we allowed them to play a really good brand of footy we could have been in trouble.
“We went pretty hard at them defensively and we were just exceptionally happy with the output from the boys.
“Our offensive game is, I think, our strength and we were able to capitalise on a few opportunities.”
It was also a special occasion for Echuca’s Will Rohde and Moama’s Lachlan Hogan, who made their top-age debuts for the Pioneers.
Bendigo’s next game will be on May 21 against the Geelong Falcons, as the squad breaks for upcoming representative football trials and games.
Many squad members will also return to their community football clubs in the interim.
The game
Scores
Bendigo: 4.1, 7.3, 8.8, 10.9 (69)
Gippsland: 0.1, 2.4, 4.6, 7.10 (52)
Goals
Bendigo: Oskar Smartt 3, Malik Gordon, Jobe Shanahan 2, Xavier Carter, Tom Evans, Tobie Travaglia
Best
Bendigo: Oskar Smartt, James Barrat, Oliver Poole, Tobie Travaglia, Oliver Morris, Mitchell Dodos