SIX goals to one in the first half helped Sunbury overcome a persistent Darley by 54 points at Darley Park on Saturday.
The Lions pressured the Devils into mistakes in the first half, dominating the inside-50s, before Darley mounted a second-half comeback. The visitors then steadied to record their third win of the season.
Sunbury started the stronger to take a 25-point quarter-time lead. The Lions held Darley goalless in the second term to make the difference 35 at the long break.
Click on the image below for our gallery of the Darley v Sunbury football and nebtall clashes.
The second half began with Xavier Linton extending Sunbury’s lead beyond seven goals, but the Devils showed some fight with consecutive goals to Darren Leonard and majors to Dane Grenfell and Brad Inglis.
Although 24 points behind at three-quarter-time, the Devils were still in the hunt.
Linton kicked the all-important first goal of the final term. The Lions then put the game beyond doubt, kicking the next two goals courtesy of Matthew Baird and Jamie Lobb, while at the other end the steadfast defence of Alan O’Connor and Brett Chambers kept the Darley forward line relatively quiet.
“It was pleasing that when something is not going right we can talk about it and then implement it,” Sunbury coach Rick Horwood said.
The Lions take on Bacchus Marsh at Maddingley Park on Saturday.
– Michael Hankin/Ballarat Courier
Ballarat Football League – Round 4 scoreboard
Sunbury 14.13 (97) d Darley 6.7 (43)
GOALS – Sunbury: Dale Ciunik, Jamie Lobb 3, Xavier Linton, Matthew Baird 2, Ross Sleight, Pat Cariss, Michael Coleman, Jack Sullivan. Darley: Marty Pask, Darren Leonard 2, Brad Inglis, Dane Grenfell.
BEST – Sunbury: Allan O’Connor, Jack Sullivan, Pat Cariss, James Fedoruk, Jamie Lobb. Darley: Brendan Porter, Darren Leonard, Jake Edwards, Scott McAllester, Tate Stone, Brad Inglis
East Point 18.21 (129) d Melton 9.12 (66)
GOALS – East Point: Daniel Tung 4, James Blood 3, Bradley Whittaker, Matthew Bilton, Hayden Walters 2, Bart Phillips, Daniel Jordan, Alex Bartlett, Joel Van Meel, Sam Cooper. Melton: Aidan Butler 3, Andrew Hunter, Israel Molafesi, Darren Haby, Jamie Kitchen, Dillon Sharp, Joshua Carman.
BEST – East Point: Sam Cooper, Alex Bartlett, Joel Van Meel, Daniel Tung, Hayden Walters, James Blood. Melton: Corey Patmore, Aidan Butler, Nicholas Gale, Allan Hill, Chris Webber, Adam McIntyre
Others: Melton South 15.10 (100) d Bacchus Marsh 8.13 (61), Ballarat 14.11 (95) d North Ballarat 10.6 (66), Redan 15.8 (98) d Lake Wendouree 10.14 (74)
LADDER: Sunbury 16 (183 per cent), Redan 16 (149), North Ballarat 12 (137), Ballarat 12 (128), Melton South 8 (125), East Point 8 (95), Bacchus Marsh 8 (92), Darley 8 (88), Melton 4 (73), Sebastopol 4 (48), Lake Wendouree 0
ROUND 5: North Ballarat v East Point, Melton v Lake Wendouree, Bacchus Marsh v Sunbury, Redan v Darley, Sebastopol v Ballarat, bye Melton South
