Eddy lifts the Eagles

WANDERERS produced another football masterclass when they beat a feisty Tiwi Bombers by 53 points at TIO Stadium. Eagles spearhead Brett Eddy kicked nine goals in the 23.6 (144) to 13.13 (91) win that gave the Darwin club a tentative hold on top spot.

Eddy, the former Port Adelaide goalkicker, expects his side to be in the finals mix when the post-season gets under way in late February.

“We’ve certainly got the basics and the fundamentals right, but when finals come around it’s the best team on the day, so we’ll have to see,” he said.

Jesse Motlop, the 17-yearold son of former Port Adelaide and North Melbourne forward Daniel Motlop, was impressive in his Premier League debut, kicking three goals and setting up several others. The seeds for another Wanderers-Tiwi shootout were sown early when both sides kicked a combined eight goals in the first quarter.

Big Eagles ruckman Ed Simpson booted two of them and Simon Bates two from the 50m line, one a set shot and the second a brilliant kick on the run.

The Bombers had their own excitement machine on song early when Adam Sambono kicked a banana goal tucked up on the boundary line adjacent to the St Mary’s clubhouse.

He repeated the dose from the opposite pocket two minutes later to send Bomber fans into raptures, but that was when the penny dropped for the free-flowing Eagles.

Eddy’s fast leads and strong marking landed him five goals in an eight-goal third term for the Muk Muks.