JOSH Stone’s tenure as Tyntynder coach came to a satisfying end on Saturday, with the Bulldogs ending their season with a 47-point win over Tooleybuc-Manangatang.
It was all-out attack as both the Saints and Bulldogs attacked their final match of 2023, with end-to-end football the result of the shackles being released after a frustrating season for both clubs.
The 18.18 (126) to 12.7 (79) win was the last of Stone’s coaching reign, having announced last week that he would not continue next season.
While Stone won’t return, any prospective coaches would have liked what they saw from the young pups, with the next generation of Tyntynder stars continuing their development with strong performances against the Saints.
Isaiah Bull’s four goals from the midfield was enough to earn him best-afield honours, while the departing Stone was also quick to praise talented youngsters Sam Bull and Wilhelm Hawkins after the game.
“It’s been good to see these kids develop in the second half of the year,” Stone said.
“We were forced to play them a bit more with a few injuries and the like, but they really stepped up and performed well and showed that they belong at the level.
“Wil and Sam in particular have come on in leaps and bounds since the bye and I can see a strong future for both of them.”
While disappointed to miss the finals, Stone was satisfied to sign off with a win, and hopeful that bigger things could well be on the horizon for the red, white and blue.
“Overall I’m probably disappointed in our season,” he said. “We thought we would be around the mark and fighting for fourth or fifth, but it obviously didn’t pan out that way.
“It was nice to finish off the season with a win for the boys to get a little bit of confidence for next year.
“It was a bit of a danger game for us, because you never quite know what you’re going to get from (Tooleybuc-Manangatang).
“Our ball speed was good and we were able to break the game open with our outside run and carry, which I felt was the difference as they’re quite a tall side that aren’t quite as mobile as us.
“They were on top in the midfield early on, but we managed to get the game played on our terms after quarter-time and we sort of ran away with it after that.
“Once we cleaned up our play around the stoppages, we were probably a bit quick for them in the end.”
While Isaiah Bull had perhaps the most influence on the contest, Saints forward Josh Williams wasn’t far behind, with the former North Melbourne player kicking seven goals for the game, taking his season tally to 54 – just one behind league leading goalkicker Ben Fuller.
Williams was the main beneficiary of some good work further afield by Connor McDonald, Ethan Goldfinch and Blake Grant through the midfield, although Grant’s influence was somewhat curtailed after quarter-time by Darcy Bibby.
The Bulldogs’ win was made all the more impressive after they lost Cayden Crowe to a foot injury early in the match, along with ruckman Angus Crowe, who reinjured a knee in the first half.
The loss of Crowe forced a positional shift for key defender Matt Gillbee, who was taken off Williams and moved into the ruck, with Tate Hulland then assigned to Williams for the remainder of the match.
Gillbee and Saints ruckman Tim Auckland then battled it out around the stoppages, with Auckland taking the points in giving his onballers first use of the ball, while Gillbee was the more influential of the pair around the ground.
VOTES
3 – Isaiah Bull (Tyntynder)
2 – Josh Williams (Tooleybuc-Manangatang)
1 – Josh Dwyer (Tyntynder)
