BOMBERS WIN PIE FIGHT

LAUDERDALE can almost taste a first TSL top three finish — and a coveted double chance in the finals — after outlasting Glenorchy in a titanic arm wrestle yesterday.

In the process, the Bombers have pushed Glenorchy’s premiership defence to the brink with the 11.16 (82) to 10.9 (69) victory on home soil.

The win sees Lauderdale jump eight points clear in third with three matches remaining in the regular season, and if the club can win two of its encoun- ters against Burnie, Hobart City and Clarence they will snap a five-year cycle of finishing in fourth or fifth.

Lauderdale dominated the opening seven minutes but it was the Pies who kicked the first goal on their maiden foray past centre when Zac Webster slotted a set shot from 40m near the boundary.

Another to Mitch Hills less than a minute later had the visitors purring, before Ed Stanley rewarded the Bombers to get them on the board.

Glenorchy edged 10 points clear a minute into the second term when Jaye Bowden kicked his first goal, before the Bombers steadied then nailed five of the last six majors for the half for a 16-point buffer.

Despite being down to two on the bench for a second week in a row after halftime with Webster (hamstring) and Dylan Grant out of business, Glenorchy piled on the pressure with the aid of the wind but did not capitalise.

Bowden kicked all of his side’s three goals to the home side’s 0.5, but the two-point advantage never felt like enough at the final change.

And any chance the Magpies appeared to have of clinging on went out the door in a momentum shift against Josh Watts.

Watts appeared to have marked a ball in his forward line, only for the umpire to call play on — with the former Brisbane Lion launching a tirade.

Not only did it land him on report, he gave away a 100m penalty to allow Josh McGuinness to regain the lead for the Bombers, and goals to Alex Hevey and Mitchell Anderton soon after sealed the biggest win in the club’s history.

“It was a good win by the boys, they stuck to their guns and to get a little bit of a buffer now is really important,” coach Darren Winter said.

“We still have three games, if we don’t take care of those games we will drop out.

“We know Glenorchy has a better percentage than us, so if we drop a couple of games and they win a couple, we are in a bit of strife.”

The only concern for Lauderdale was Phil Bellchambers, who did not return after halftime due to blurred vision from a high hit soon before the break.