BATHURST Bushrangers Rebels have picked up their biggest win of the season thus far by winning the Zach Baker Memorial clash at Bathurst Giants on Saturday.
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A gritty final quarter surge from the Rebels took them to a 10-15-75 to 8-11-59 win at George Park 2.
Just five points separated the clubs during the fourth quarter before the Bushrangers pulled clear with a pair of quick fire goals.
Rebels co-coach Steve Grundy said victory in the second edition of the memorial match was a special moment for the club.
“There was a good celebration after. It was a real arm wrestle of a match,” he said.
“At three-quarter time we asked ourselves how much we really wanted it. The boys responded and we ran over the top in the last quarter.
“It was a fantastic win and one we’ll remember very fondly.
“There was a lot of emotion before the game. A lot of the boys on the team had played junior football with Zach.
“We thought about him all day and we really wanted to win this for him because he was such a fantastic clubman.”
Rebels had the larger share of 50m entries going into the half-time break during Saturday’s game – 26 to 17 – but their inaccuracy in front of goal prevented them from wrestling the game away from their opponents.
Giants reeled in the half-time deficit to be behind 49-45 with one term remaining.
Rebels upped their game and produced more than doubled the Giants’ 50m entries in the fourth quarter to seize control.
We really wanted to win this for him because he was such a fantastic clubman.
- Steve Grundy, on the Zach Baker Memorial Match
“Up until half-time it was very close. They came hard at the end of the second quarter and we managed to keep the lead going into the second half,” Grundy said.
“In the third quarter Giants were the better of the two teams. It was a see-sawing game. They had a couple of chances in the fourth quarter which, if they’d taken, meant it could have swayed in their favour.
“We made our chances count and that was the difference in the end.”
Giants went into the game aiming for three straight wins over the Bushrangers, having beaten the Outlaws both at the end of the 2017 regular season and last weekend.
Grundy said every match against their cross-city rivals is certain to be a cracker.
“In this competition, on any given day it’s anyone’s match. For the players that’s really exciting. We have to prepare well every week and you can’t take any match for granted,” he said.
“To see three Bathurst teams performing very well is exciting for AFL in Bathurst.”
The Rebels have won both editions of the memorial after beating club mates Outlaws in last year’s game 11-6-72 to 9-4-58.
Rebels have maintained their third place on the Central West AFL ladder, which went on the line against their fourth-placed opponents Giants.
Both clubs get an opportunity to strengthen their top four positions next round. Rebels and Giants play host to Parkes Panthers and Dubbo Demons respectively.