SWNFL 2023: Bunbury trumps South Bunbury by 21 goals in high-energy contest

In a battle of between youth and experience, Bunbury have come up trumps over South Bunbury, winning 66-45 under Friday night lights. The Bunbury-South Bunbury derby at the South West Sports Centre on Friday marked the sole league match of round 17, with the Tigers featuring a number of younger players looking to measure up to the Bulldogs, who featured several of their mainstays. Both sides were quick to mount the pressure on each other from the outset, although goals from Cassady Osiejak and Chloe Rogers helped the Bulldogs build up an early lead. South Bunbury’s Nyrobi Zuiderwyk was impressive early thanks to a number of early interceptions helping the Tigers get some turnovers. Despite plenty of defensive pressure from South Bunbury, the Bulldogs held strong with quick feeds into the goal circle to lead 18-9 at quarter-time. Looking to stay in the contest, South Bunbury were quick to drive the ball down the court although Bunbury would maintain control and continue extending their lead. While Tanika Dunlop and Abbey Jones were impressive in defence, Bunbury made the most of rebounds off Isabelle Szemray to continue pulling away. Looking to keep the margin low, South Bunbury finished the term with a frenetic pace to trail 30-20 at the main break. The high-intensity contest continued into the third quarter, with Courtney Babich getting some strong feeds into Bunbury’s goal circle to extend their lead even further. As Bunbury set a fast pace, South Bunbury responded with Chloe Wallace managing several goals to keep the Tigers in contention. While Zoe Bajaky and Dunlop mounted the pressure in defence, Bunbury held strong to lead 44-33 at the final change. The final term saw Bunbury working quickly to try and seal the win but South Bunbury were left rattled after persistent contact saw Bajaky sent off the court for two minutes. While Zuiderwyk held strong in defence on her own, South Bunbury continued to fight hard and go for any opportunity to intercept. However, Bunbury kept their composure and held strong to win 66-45.