SWNFL 2022: Busselton Magpies set the standard with a 10-goal win over Bunbury Bulldogs

Busselton have continued to dominate the competition ahead of a general bye after holding off Bunbury by 10 goals, 54-44. The Magpies hosted the Bulldogs at the Geographe Leisure Centre on Sunday during the 14th round of the 2022 SWNFL season. Bunbury started strongly, with the impressive shooting combination of Hayley Abbs and Kaitlyn Tucker taking advantage of some quality ball movement into the shooting circle. The Magpies elected to start stalwart Maia Bratton at goalkeeper — however once she shifted to goal shooter in the second term, the contest quickly shifted. Working brilliantly in tandem with goal attack Lisa Millman, the Bulldogs defence struggled to cope with Bratton’s ability to win possession under extreme duress. The Magpies took a handy lead into half-time, and in truth they could have led by more, had a few more mid-court passes reached their intended destination. Although the Bulldogs tried their hardest to fight back during the second half, it was not enough to top the Magpies, with Busselton going on to take the win 54-44. The win hands the Magpies their ninth victory of the season as they continue to hold on to top spot on the ladder while the Bulldogs fell to fifth place. Elsewhere, it was a busy weekend for South Bunbury with a Friday night make-up match against Harvey-Brunswick-Leschenault and a Sunday match-up against Carey Park. HBL proved too strong for South Bunbury during the Friday night game at the South West Sports Centre, going on to record their seventh win of the season with a convincing 79-41 win. However, the Tigers were able to bounce back quickly and held off a determined Carey Park Panthers 48-46 in a thrilling contest at the South West Sports Centre on Sunday. Eaton Boomers were the sole team to have a bye for the round.