THE Raiders lived up to their name as they came to the Bulldog kennel and with almost nonchalant ease claimed the four points against Tyntynder, and retreated satisfied to their Murray River stronghold.
Koondrook Barham had three goals on the board in the first seven minutes of the contest to really set the standard that would be the norm as the match rolled to its expected conclusion.
The Raiders were just two accomplished in the areas of the game that matter in the business of winning matches.
Koondrook Barham had some very efficient goal scorers particularly in Ryan Evans who followed up his haul of seven in the previous game with a very well-crafted eight majors.
Jake Hare and Zac Hare were particularly busy for the entire journey until captain Jake was forced from the ground late in the game with what appeared to be an eye injury.
Tom Lamb was also a strong player across half back consistently repelling many promising Bulldog attacking plays.
The Bulldogs went to the half-time break only 25 points adrift and the local fans harboured a faint hope of a solid second half from their struggling outfit.
Their hopes soon faded however as the Raiders were a little too polished going forward and were winning the ball around the packs.
The Bulldogs were obviously trying a few different options on Saturday one of them being the placing of usual midfield gun Josh Cheek into a sweeping role across half back and with more support that could have been a bonus for the Dogs.
Lachie Carroll was also his usual energetic self for the locals gaining many possessions but always under pressure from the swarming Raiders.
Ryal Yak showed his youthful exuberance but the 15-year-old’s lack of physical presence took its toll and he drifted from the game.
Kayle Kirby also showed flashes of forward danger but was spasmodic and only had minimal influence on the progress of the game.
The game petered out in the last term and as the rain started to become more intense so the slippery conditions reduced the contest to a very tough and lack lustre encounter.
The cold conditions sent many hardy souls home early.
The Raiders will play out the season in a competitive spirit giving many teams difficult afternoons, while the Bulldogs will still battle through very difficult season with their focus firmly on 2015.
