BATHURST Bushrangers Rebels have opened their account in this year’s Central West AFL competition with an emphatic win over hosts Dubbo Demons on Saturday.
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Rebels didn’t allow the Demons to score a single goal in the opening half at South Dubbo Oval, shooting out to a near-insurmountable 64-4 lead at the main break.
Demons enjoyed a stronger pair of final quarters but were still outscored by a rampant Rebels side over that time.
Bushrangers eased home to a 21-20-146 to 7-8-50 win.
Rebels made the trip to Dubbo after dropping their opening round match against their Outlaws club mates.
Co-coach Steve Grundy said the Rebels executed their game plan perfectly across the one-sided opening half of football.
“After last week we had a few things we wanted to work on which we weren’t too happy about. From the opening bounce against Dubbo we did that, and quickly took the game by the scruff of the neck,” he said.
“Our midfield was really strong all game and having Matt Luther back in defence was a big help.”
Bushrangers kicked nine goals in the opening half but their lead could have been even greater. The team kept their goal and behind tallies virtually level the whole match.
Despite some missed chances in front of goal the Rebels had not issues moving the ball forward thanks to their dominance through the middle.
The half-time score allowed the Rebels to relax somewhat for the remainder of the match but even with the buffer they outscored their opponents 12 goals to seven.
“Our deliveries into the front line were much better this week. We time our time with the ball before making decision and that paid off,” Grundy said.
“Kaleb Crowhurst kicked seven goals. Matt Archer was amazing through the midfield and Pat Fisher was exceptional off the half-back line. He was able to come forward and get himself a goal.
“Josh Thompson, after his 100th game last week, was able to get his first goal in a few years. That really got the guys pumped up.
“It’s well documented that Dubbo have lost some players over the off-season. They’ll definitely get better as the season goes on. They showed a lot of character and positive attitude to come out firing in that second half.
“Dubbo were fired up at the start of that half. Our boys withstood that for the first 10 minutes then managed to take control of the game again.”
Troy Robinson was named best on ground for the Rebels.
