Tara Murray
In danger signs for other sides, things are starting to click for Riddell in the Riddell District Football League.
With a number of new players and a new coach, there were plenty of expectations on the Bombers this season.
While they have been able to get the wins on the board, things have been as smooth as coach Arron Bray would have liked.
“It’s taken a little longer than I thought it would to play my system and this is what it is about,” he said.
“It took me 18 months at Rupertswood. I was expecting it to be a little quicker here with the calibre of players we have.”
On Saturday, the Bombers were able to come away with the points against a red hot Wallan.
Bray said it was an arm wrestle all day.
“We were up at quarter time and then Jesse Horton got tunnelled under the ball and he folded like he’d been in a car crash,” he said.
“We had to reset. Wallan got out to a lead before we kicked a couple of goals heading into half time.
‘We kicked five goals in the third quarter. We took a couple of blokes off to rest a couple up.
“We were never going to lose the game.”
Bray said Horton was OK after landing on the top of his shoulder, not his neck.
Matthew Panuccio kicked three goals for the Bombers, while Dean Galea and Kamen Ogilvie kicked two each.
Josh Grabham was the standout for the Bombers, coming out on top in the battle with Chris Stewart.
“Stewart was still good in certain areas of the ground,” Bray said.
“Josh had 15-20 tackles and his second efforts were really good. He was an extra onballer.
“He was the first to leave the area and got him running the other way.”
Tommy Alkemade, Dylan Tarczon and Callum Williamson were other standouts.
Bray said it was one of their best team performances.
“There were 16 we could have had in the best,” he said. “That’s how good a team performance it was.
“We’ve been after the team game all year but we haven’t got and been a bit clunky. It’s starting to come together.”
The Bombers now sit a game clear on top of the ladder after 10 rounds.
This week the Bombers face Kyneton which upset Romsey in their clash, 8.15 (63)-8.10 (58).
The game was a close one all day with less than a goal separating the two teams at all the breaks.
For many of the Bombers it will be their first time playing at Kyneton Showgrounds.
“We went up in round one and it was the first time I had been there,” Bray said.
In other results, Lancefield fell just short of its first win of the season, losing to Melton Centrals.
In the battle of the bottom teams, Centrals got their second win of the season, winning 5.5 (35)-5.3 (33).
Diggers Rest was too good for Woodend-Hesket in their clash, winning 10.11 (71)-8.5 (53).
