Bombers ‘too soft now’
LAUDERDALE’S grand final implosion last September is having an effect on the Bombers and assistant coach Clinton Brown claims the side has gone too soft this season.
The Bombers were taken to the cleaners by North Launceston on a day when four Lauderdale players were reported and subsequently suspended for a total of seven matches.
Coach Darren Winter was later found guilty of “behaving in an abusive, insulting, threatening or obscene manner towards or in relation to an umpire” and suspended for six matches, which expires at the end of tomorrow’s grand final rematch against the Northern Bombers at UTas Stadium.
Brown is still upset at claims his Bombers were thugs.
“We’ve looked through the footage as coaches and I’m still trying to see anything in that grand final that resembles thuggery — where you could actually say someone deliberately went out and did anything,” Brown said. “If someone can come forward and show me footage of where someone deliberately, premeditatedly, went out and showed thuggery, I’d be very surprised.”
Lauderdale “addressed” what happened in the grand final at its first pre-season training session and has tried to put it behind.
“We’ve probably gone the other way,” Brown said.
“We challenged a few boys who were probably playing too far on the edge.
“Sometimes they were going over the line.
“I think we’ve gone too far away from that and we haven’t been playing a brand of football that you’ve seen at Lauderdale in the past couple of years.”
Brown was offended by some post-game accusations that Lauderdale deliberately attacked North Launceston players. “It’s very frustrating, especially when you get the finger pointed at coaching staff, especially Darren, to say that he suggested players go out and do that,” Brown said.
“There was never anything mentioned about going out and doing anything like that, in fact it was the complete opposite.
“We had a few players in the first quarter who got frustrated and did some silly things that cost free kicks, but I’d hardly say anyone went out there and tried to hurt opposition players.”
North Launceston regained grand final best afield Brad Cox-Goodyer for the rematch and premiership coach Tom Couch, now based in Melbourne, was named as a fly-in half-forward.
Ladder leader Launceston regained goal ace Sonny Whiting for its clash with Glenorchy at Windsor Park, but coach Sam Lonergan is out. The Pies welcomed back onballer Rhys Mott from suspension.