SWFL Match Report: Eaton v Busselton

Eaton Boomers will spend the two-week South West Football League break on top of the table after knocking off Busselton by 23 points on Sunday.

The Boomers midfield was dominant throughout in the 11.11 (77) to 8.6 (54) win and while Busselton was resilient, they never seriously threatened to leave Glen Huon Reserve with the four points.

Chris Atthowe was a presence at half-forward for the home side, taking plenty of marks throughout but his output of 3.4 arguably did not fully reflect his impact.

Josh Battaglia, Kane Bloxsidge, Blake Piggot and Jace Cormack were among the Boomers players to assert themselves on the contest as Eaton found plenty of open space to work in.

The Boomers used the switch to good effect and moved the ball forward almost at will, while key Busselton players Dan McGinlay and Chris Kane were well held.

Busselton struggled to play any quick transition football and were often forced to kick to contests, where the Boomers more than held their own.

Eighteen-year-old Jarrod Humphries was also excellent for the Boomers, kicking three goals and providing pace, but he left the field early with a suspected collarbone injury.

The Boomers kicked three goals to two in each of the first three terms as they slowly built their lead.

Neither side kicked a goal in a cagey first 10 minutes before Busselton struck first.

Four unanswered Boomers goals either side of quarter time put the hosts in control and they always struck back whenever needed.

Kane and McGinlay linked up to provide WAFL recruit Tom Howlett with an easy goal in the final minute of the first half but an instant reply from Cormack gave Eaton a 15-point half-time lead that reflected their superiority.

Busselton again refused to let the match get away despite being outplayed in the third quarter and it took a late goal to Humphries, the second straight quarter where the Boomers goaled with just seconds to play, to extend the lead to 23.