A week after a dramatic, stirring one-point win over Seymour, the Bombers extended their winning streak in Goulburn Valley League to half-a-dozen with a 98-point thumping of Shepparton United.
Six was the number of the day for Kyabram – the Bombers got off to a hot start with a six-goal-to-one first term, keeping the foot on the gas with six more goals in quarters two and three, respectively.
Brad Mangan finished with six goals for the game and Zach Norris was named among the best for the sixth time this season, helping lead Ky to a 22.13 (145) to 6.11 (47) victory – its sixth win in a row.
It was a commanding performance from Kyabram, which was far too strong for the Demons at Shepparton’s Deakin Reserve.
Having jumped out to a 31-point lead at quarter-time, Ky’s margin grew to 53 at half-time and 84 at the final break, before ending up at 98 points when the final siren sounded.
“I was happy with the way the boys went about it. From the first bounce we were ready to rock and roll and everyone was pulling on the rope, it was good,” Kyabram coach Paul Newman said.
“Our emphasis was just to continue to play good footy. We have had a pretty good patch of games against good opposition and we just wanted to keep bringing that same game style and identity.
“Everyone contributed, there is no doubt about that. I thought Tom Holman and Lachie Smith were the standouts of the day.
"It was probably the first time we have been able to get Tommy Holman and Brad Mangan rolling together at the same time, so that was exciting.“
Sitting second on the ladder and with an impressive 7-1 win-loss record next to their name, the Bombers have established themselves as serious premiership contenders.
After winning three of the past four premierships heading into 2022, it seemed like the page had turned on Kyabram’s dynasty last year.
The Bombers finished sixth, before getting bundled out of the finals in the opening round after a 51-point loss to Euroa.
But Newman said last season was not a true reflection of where Kyabram was at, with circumstances beyond the club’s control making a big impact.
“To be fair, last year we just had some unfortunate injuries that ended the season for important players,” he said.
“Brad Mangan played two games, Kyle Mueller played three games and then we had a course of other injuries throughout the season as well.
“At the start of the year we identified that we were a little bit off, but we didn’t think that we were as far off the mark as we finished getting touched up by Euroa in the elimination final.
“As a club we were down and out for a long time. As a club, we just continually strive to be the best we can be and compete for premierships,” he said.
“The hunger is always there, and we were able to add a couple of really important pieces in Will Golds and Toby Wooller. Zach Keogh was back on the weekend and it was great to have him involved. It is all coming together.”
Still, Newman said the Bombers were remaining grounded, admitting that his side will need to keep getting better if it wants to challenge at the end of the season.
“We aren’t getting ahead of ourselves. We think we have the personnel to compete and we’ll keep chipping away,” he said.
“We just want to continue to improve as the season goes on. We know we have to improve a lot when it comes time to play Euroa, Seymour and Echuca again. We just have to keep getting better.”
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