by Ice Station Zebra

Sandringham was forced to dig deep into its reserves of strength and courage to come back from behind late in the final quarter and record a stunning 7 point victory over the Bendigo Bombers at Windy Hill on Sunday.

With the Sandy team further weakened by the Melbourne injury crisis and with skipper Chad Liddell concussed and on the bench, Bendigo looked as if it was going to power home to victory after grabbing the lead late in the final quarter. However, the Zebras struck back with goals from Danny Hughes and Nick Sautner to see them home after a classic final quarter struggle.

The game opened in lacklustre fashion but the Bendigo Bombers were inspired by the return of Adam Ramanauskas after two years battling cancer and a knee injury. They fought tooth and nail to keep up with the reigning premiers and managed to keep things even in the first quarter before the visitors took control.

When Liddell went down to a heavy hit in the second quarter, it was up to some of the real stalwarts of the club to stand up and be counted. David Gallagher was in exceptional form with his strong tackling and hard chasing, providing a good link up while Shane Valenti's great start to the season continued with an exceptional display in midfield. Stefan Martin, in only his second game for the club was rucking well, while Ricky Petterd was in fine form and showed again why he is knocking on the door to AFL selection. At half time, the Zebras had pushed to a handy three goal lead.

The third quarter saw a dour struggle between the teams with Bendigo coming back hard and reducing the gap to 15 points at the final break. They could have been much closer but for some poor kicking for goal. Zebra coach Mark Williams sensed trouble at the final break and warned his charges of Bendigo's ability to surge and score quickly. He was right because the Bombers managed to kick the first five goals of the quarter and were threatening to overrun his team.

The game became a hard, tough slog at the end with both teams struggling to get past their half forward lines until Hughes managed to convert from a strong mark and lead to even things up again. The huge crowd at Windy Hill was frustrated with some of the umpiring (which affected both sides), but it was the experience of Zebras like Ryan Ferguson and Andy Biddlecome who were solid in defence all day, Rod Crowe, Ezra Poyas and the effervescent Gallagher that managed to hold Bendigo out. The final goal came from a free kick awarded about 20 metres out directly in front to Nick Sautner after a huge pack had developed. The resultant goal, the spearhead's fourth for the day, and assured the Zebras of victory.

Williams was rapt with the win and said he was particularly impressed with the way his team reacted after Bendigo surged to the lead. They didn't just lie down but kept on coming was impressive in the circumstances of the game.

"It was a really good win. We went in with only seven or eight Melbourne blokes," Williams said.

"We had kids in. Gallagher was fantastic, his tackling and his winning of the ball in contested situations was outstanding.

"Valenti was very good around the ball."

Sandringham remains the ladder leader and is the only undefeated team after just three rounds. The team comprised of 13 VFL listed players this week, a fact which underlines the club's depth. That depth is certain to be tested again with Sunday's home clash against the Casey Scorpions as more players are expected to be elevated to the AFL at the weekend.

Sandringham 3.3.21 9.4.58 12.6.78 15.12.102

Bendigo Bombers 3.3.21 6.4.40 9.9.63 14.11.95

Goals:

Sandringham: Sautner 4 Hughes Martin Summers 2 Johnson Liddell Newton Petterd Poyas

Bendigo Bombers: Gumbleton Lonergan 4 Hocking 2 Carter Camporeale Jolley Skipworth

Best:

Sandringham: Gallagher Valenti Petterd Ferguson Biddlecombe Johnson

Bendigo Bombers: Johnson Skipworth Camporeale Lonergan Flaherty Gumbleton

TOUGH DAY FOR RESERVES

Sandringham reserves missed a golden opportunity to win away from home when they were overrun in the final quarter after holding a 22 point lead at three quarter time. The team had their chances to be a lot further in front at that stage but in the end, it must be said that they lost the game themselves. The young team will need to add better consistency and discipline to its makeup.

Daniel Gribbin was in excellent form again as were Tom Paterakis and Rennie Gilchrist.

The team will have to regroup for next week's game against. the Casey Scorpions if it is to keep its season track.

Sandringham 3.0.18 8.4.52 12.8.80 13.10.88

Bendigo Bombers 5.5.35 7.11.53 9.14.58 14.24.108

Goals:

Sandringham: Curcio Gileno Monaghan Tregear Zarra 2 Bode Dunne McKenzie

Bendigo Bombers: Maddern Weeks 4 Geary 2 Anderson Atkinson Crameri Leech

Best:

Sandringham: Gribbin Gilchrist Paterakis McKenzie Ott Zarra

Bendigo Bombers: Gladman Atkinson Anderson Weeks Marchesani Dillon

Rod Crowe tears it up for Sandy. So does Danny Hughes. Have you elevated him to seniors with Jace Bode?