THE Echcua-based EMU Masters football team took on the Bendigo Bombers at White Hills for a night match.
Travelling with a full team, coach Bruce McCohan was quietly confident.
The first quarter started at a ferocious pace with the Bombers getting away early.
Good passages of play saw James Walsh, Lyndon Neville, Chris Blake and Glenn Muriel linking together to convert on the scoreboard.
At quarter time Duane Kelly, who had been leading by example in the ruck with Aaron Pewit, asked that the EMUs commit to getting their heads over the ball and attack in the next quarter.
The Bombers continued to attack but with the EMUs backline pressure from Peter Spencer, Greg Boisgaurd and Billy Smith the Bendigo Bombers were held to several behinds.
Deanne Saunders agility and speed out of the back line continued to pressure Bombers midfield.
The drive through the centre from Jeff Abella, Chris Hagan and Troy Arlow saw the conversions on the scoreboard from the EMUs.
Playmaker Francis O’Brien demanded that when the ball go forward the EMUs set up the wall to keep the ball in the forward line.
The EMUs built a wall that Donald Trump would be proud of, keeping the ball in their forward line enabling the forwards Darryl Quottes, Troy Ramsey and Oliver Orange to convert.
After half-time the game continued to be a tight tussle, as the sun had gone down the stars began to shine and no brighter star than Garner Smith, stepping up stopping everything that entered the back line and driving the ball forward with pinpoint accuracy.
Neville Green also shone in the second half with some great tussles on the wing.
Deanne Kelly continued to the dominate in the ruck and take big marks around the ground.
The last quarter saw the dew set in and the ball became slippery as Chris Blakey discovered when he went for a running bounce up the wing.
With Damien Hammond battling through a badly corked thigh, it was Lyndon Neville who stepped up with some stunning transfers of play up the wing, linking with two of the best on ground Jeff Abella and Garner Smith.
Coach Bruce McCohan converted a goal from 45m out on the boundary line in the last quarter to keep the scoreboard ticking over.
It was a great fast paced tough game, but the Bombers just did not pack enough artillery for the running EMUs.