Bombers fall short in nail-biting finish, but pride remains after remarkable season

BONNIE Doon’s shot at back-to-back senior footy premierships has come to a gut-wrenching end after Bright staged a thrilling final-quarter comeback to snatch a seven-point victory in Saturday’s preliminary final at North Wangaratta Sports Reserve. The Bombers, who had been cruising through the season undefeated, looked well on their way to another grand final, leading by 16 points at the final break. But the Mountain Men had other ideas, storming home with a blistering six-goal final term to win 12.4 (76) to 10.9 (69) and book their spot in the big dance against Greta this weekend. Bonnie Doon had come into the match looking to redeem themselves after a surprise loss in their qualifying final, and for three quarters, it looked like they’d be getting another crack at glory. Al Bennett was leading the way with three majors, and the midfield brigade, led by skipper and coach Campbell Smedley, James Fox, and Clyde Baker medalist Matt Hedin, were winning the battle around the stoppages. By half-time, the Bombers had a handy 15-point buffer, and even though Bright fought back in the third, Bonnie Doon still had one foot in the grand final with a 16-point lead heading into the last term. Enter Cooper Thomason. The Bright forward dynamo, and the league’s leading goal kicker, had been quiet for most of the day, but he saved his best for last, booting five of his team’s six goals in the final quarter. It was a masterclass in clutch football, as Thomason stood tall in the forward 50, slotting goal after goal and turning the game on its head. Bright coach Paul Harrison said the team drew on last year’s heartbreak and refused to let history repeat itself. “It was about where we’ve come from and the journey we’ve been on to not let it finish at a prelim final,” Harrison said. “We’d had three quarters of our best footy, and they still hadn’t put us away, so we knew if we could just even it out, we’d be a chance.” Thomason’s late-game heroics left Bonnie Doon shell-shocked, but Harrison was quick to point out it was a total team effort that got them over the line. “He hadn’t had a great game before that, started too high up the ground, but we spoke at half-time about staying inside forward 50,” Harrison explained. “He’s kicked 94 goals for a reason, so we needed him deep. “He is a special player and his game went up. "But it wasn’t just Cooper – we had 21 blokes who all had to stand up when it was their time.” For Bonnie Doon, the result is a bitter pill to swallow after a dominant season, but there’s plenty to be proud of, with a swag of top gongs at the recent O&K league presentation evening, too. While their finals campaign ended sooner than expected, Bonnie Doon can take solace in the fact that they’ve got a young, talented list that will no doubt come back stronger next year. Bright's Mountain Men now look ahead to the O&K grand final against Greta, but for the Bombers, it’s the end of the road for what had been a stellar season.

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