It was a victory almost two years in the making, but Shellharbour are finally back in the winners' circle.
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After a tight opening half, the Suns surged home in the last two quarters to record a 8.6 (54) to 4.6 (30) win over Bomaderry at Myimbarr Oval on Saturday afternoon.
It was the team's first win since late 2018, and their inaugural victory in the AFL South Coast Men's Premier Division.
"It was definitely good to sing the [team] song again," Suns president Steve Ashworth told the Mercury.
"It was a gutsy win today, it was well earned mate. 'Bomo' was tough but we just kept going. I think we had probably had a little better fitness on the day than Bomo and we got over the top."
It was definitely good to sing the [team] song again.
- Steve Ashworth
Shellharbour started well on Saturday, scoring three goals while keeping the Tigers to one solitary point in the first quarter.
Bomaderry fought back in the second, kicking three goals to one, to trail by six points at half time.
Then, as Ashworth says, the third quarter proved "telling". The Suns booted four goals to nil to open up a 32-point advantage at three-quarter time.
The wind picked up in the final quarter, with only goal kicked by Bomaderry, but Shellharbour held on for a 24-point win.
"We had a pretty even spread of contributors and we had a plan to put the clamp on a few of their movers and ball winners, and it seemed to work well," Ashworth said.
"Most of our better players were our juniors who have come through. Jarod Falconer, Sandon Ashworth, Blake McKenzie, plus a couple of Canberra boys, and 'Telf' [Benjamin Telford] was in there, he's been with us three years now. They were obviously really desperate to win today because it has been such a drought for us. They all knuckled down in the second half when Bomo came back at us in the second quarter, and we put it to bed I suppose.
"We will now head back to the club to celebrate [wins in] all three grades [Men's Premier Division, Men's Division Two and Women's Division One]. which was the first time in our history."
Elsewhere, Northern Districts overcame an eight-point deficit at three-quarter time to clinch a 10.4 (64) to 8.4 (52) victory over the Lions at Hollymount Park. Cody Haub was in red-hot form, booting five goals, as the Tigers recorded an upset win.
And the Kangaroos remain undefeated in 2020 after overcoming a gutsy Bulldogs outfit at Figtree Oval.
Daniel Constable, Kyle Veerhuis and Oliver Burnett combined for nine goals as Figtree sealed a 15.12 (102) to 11.8 (74) win.
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Joshua Bartlett
A sporting fanatic who is keen to promote all codes in the Illawarra and abroad. Mercury's chief football reporter.
A sporting fanatic who is keen to promote all codes in the Illawarra and abroad. Mercury's chief football reporter.
