BOMBERS COP WINTER BLAST

LAUDERDALE players were read the riot act in a morningafter session at the club as the Bombers try to re-set after their 94-point second semifinal disaster against North Launceston on Saturday.

Bombers coach Darren Winter said his players were left in no doubt what he thought of their performance.

“They got told,” Winter said.

Lauderdale did not arrive home until 11.30pm on Saturday and were at a 10am team meeting at the club yesterday.

“We did a review on the bus on the way home and we focused on Launceston this morning.”

This time, Winter did agree his players needed to harden up.

“That was one of the softest performances we’ve put together since I’ve been at the club,” he said.

“To dish that up in a final was extremely disappointing.”

North Launceston was primed for the match that ult- imately put the Northern Bombers into their fourth consecutive grand final. Lauderdale seemed flat after its virtuoso performance against Clarence.

“We had a couple of turnovers in the first quarter, which put us on the back foot,” Win- ter said. “We had lots of missed tackles and our effort wasn’t at a level worthy of a second semi-final to go into a grand final.

“The boys are really disappointed in the way they went about it and the result.”

Lauderdale’s heart and soul, its midfield, missed a beat.

“They were well-beaten on the day,” Winter said.

“It didn’t matter who went in there, they were beaten.

“And the disappointing thing was when we changed things up, the players didn‘t respond to those changes like they have in the past. It didn’t matter what we tried, things weren’t working.

“North Launceston finished on top for a reason and they showed us how to play finals footy.

“It was a valuable experience for our young group.”

After sending Clarence into mothballs at Blundstone Arena on Saturday, Launceston is waiting on the recovery of prime-movers Joe Boyce and Jack Donellan, both with corked thighs.