Bunbury Bulldogs secure 32-point victory over HBL Lions in SWFL league match at Payne Park

Bunbury has cemented second spot on the SWFL league ladder with a 32-point win over Harvey-Brunswick-Leschenault. The home team never fell behind in their 10.12 (72) to 5.10 (40) victory at Payne Park on Sunday afternoon. The visitors did not have a good start to the game, being left goalless in the first quarter despite having more scoring shots than their competitors. HBL eventually broke the drought in the second quarter, at one point bringing Bunbury’s margin down to four points. But the Bulldogs built a bigger buffer heading into half-time after kicking three consecutive goals. With a 24-point deficit to claw back, the Lions started the third quarter on the right foot and scored the first two goals. Bunbury neutralised the threat before the final break by scoring two goals. As the weather conditions worsened as the afternoon progressed, so did the Lions’ chances of notching a victory. The Bulldogs’ winning margin increased in the fourth quarter after they kicked three goals to the Lions’ two. Both teams suffered significantly from inaccurate kicking. Lions star Jarrod Humpries had a less than ideal start to the game, kicking four behinds before eventually scoring two goals. His goal-scoring effort was equalled by Bulldogs players Jesse Gribble and Baiden Parsons. The result now puts Bunbury two wins ahead of HBL on the league ladder, with the sides second and third on the ladder respectively.