Aaron Degreef

THE Kapunda Bombers secured a solid 26-point win over Barossa District in the Barossa Light & Gawler A-grade on Saturday.
Played in testing conditions, Kapunda started strong early on with Justin Zanandrea booting through a wind-assisted goal.
The Dogs wrestled the ball out of the centre but were unable to penetrate its forward line with the wind proving to be a significant obstacle.
The remaining time in the first stanza was spent sliding in the mud, but Josh Dodd eventually overcame the formidable Barossa defence and added a second goal to the scoreboard.
During the second quarter, Barossa quickly gained the upper hand and launched the ball into the forward line, enabling Adam Spencer to win a free-kick from a push in the back which he then converted.
However, Jay Meaney struck back with a set-shot of his own, kicking it low and hard to slice through the wind and light up the scoreboard.
Later in the quarter, Zanandrea read the ball very well to collect the crumbs and snap the goal from dead in front to give the Bombers a 22-point lead at half-time.
After a tentative start to the third, the Bombers appeared to still be outperforming the Dogs in regard to inside-50s, kicking six minor scores.
Eventually, Zanandrea again capitalised on a quick kick out of the midfield which he marked and launched through the big sticks for his third.
The final term commenced with the Dogs gaining a newfound energy that allowed it to finally swing the game in its favour.
Darren Shillabeer grasped the footy early on and bombed it from fifty out with ease, before teammate Daniel Kickel did the same.
But the Bombers turned on the afterburners which saw Dodd secure a major from a tight angle, which was consolidated by Patrick Keynes who similarly banged an accurate shot against the wind.
Barossa’s Brae Mcconnell lifted his team by keeping his feet, reading the ball well and dribbling one through, before he also took a mark on the boundary line and managed to curve another goal through with an excellent banana kick.
Despite this resurgence, the damage had already been done early on, and Kapunda’s Aaron Whistler sealed the deal to bring the final scores to 8.13 (61) to 5.5  (35).
Kapunda player-coach Fraser Evans spoke afterwards and said the game was less about skill and more about will.
“It was very wet and blowing a reasonable gale… it was not a pretty day for footy,” he said.
“The game was all about playing simple footy and keeping it in front as much as we could.
“What we could take out of it was that we were able to maintain our focus and each player was able to stick to the structure… it shows that we have a bit of ticker and put in a four quarter of effort.”