Football
7 September, 2025
Bombers earn grand final spot with gritty win over Demons
Noradjuha Quantong’s seniors football side will meet Harrow Balmoral in the Horsham District Football Netball League grand final for the second year in a row after the Bombers overcame a determined Laharum outfit to win their preliminary final.
Noradjuha Quantong kicked 8.8 56 to Laharum’s 3.9 27.
Laharum quickly got on the scoreboard after Pat Lattanzio hit a free kick goal just one minute into the match.
Aided by a wind advantage in the opening term, the Demons dominated a lot of possession and territory, but the Bombers’ defence, led by Dyson Parish in the absence of Wade Francis, were able to withstand most of the pressure, limiting the Demons to difficult chances at goal.
A Jye Walter mark off a good Dylan Shelley delivery led to a Bombers goal midway through the quarter, with Laharum eventually taking a 11-6 lead at the first break.
Both sides traded goals early in the second before two quick goals to the Bombers’ Judah Hobbs saw the Bombers take a 25-17 lead midway through the quarter.
Like the first quarter, a contest-heavy style of play ensued, with strong backline marking and contesting from the likes of William Miller and Alec McCallum helping stem Noradjuha Quantong’s momentum, who entered halftime with a 26-17 lead.
Dylan Shelley and Josh Hutchinson (Laharum) traded goals early in the third quarter, before Noradjuha Quantong were able to demonstrate the pace and ball movement that has defined their season for the remainder of the quarter, creating numerous opportunities. Goals to James Gregg and Connor O’Bierne helped the Bombers increase their lead to 47-25 at three-quarter time.
Both sides continued to play with strong pressure in the final quarter, and outside of a Jye Walter goal, each team had limited opportunities in their respective forward 50s, the Bombers eventually taking a 29-point win.
For Noradjuha Quantong, Parish was one of the best on ground, and Jayden Besford had a great performance in the midfield, while Laharum midfielder Daniel Easson and William Miller were amongst Laharum’s best.
Damian Cameron, coach of Noradjuha Quantong, was overjoyed after being asked how it felt to win and progress to the grand final.
“Just unreal,” Cameron said.
“That's probably one of the gutsiest wins I've been in for a while.
“It wasn't a pretty game of footy with the wind and they put it to us competitively,and it was very contested footy.
”Just the way we went about it as the game went on, it was just impressive to be a part of, and I’m proud of the boys.”
Asked about the impressive defence all game, Cameron praised his backline in the absence of Wade Francis, crediting the performance from Parish
“Losing Wade, he's probably the genuine gun that we have in our backline, but the rest of them are good role players and I don't think anyone realises how solid they are,” Cameron said.
“We don't get scored against heavily week to week for the whole season and then to probably play their best game, collectively, in a prelim final, was huge.
“They were helping each other out in the air and then on the ground with the intensity and getting around each other for the uncontested possessions.
“He's (Parish) got everything to his game. He can mark the ball and he can get it at ground level and he can play a shutdown role or he can play a role where he gets a bit more of a ball.
“But the thing with him is he just doesn't really make mistakes, so he's always reliable and he's hard at the ball.”
Cameron credited Laharum’s defensive game, acknowledging his side’s persistent work for igniting that critical third quarter.
“Sometimes, there’s not much you can do when an opposition's defending so well and they're so disciplined in that,” Cameron said.
“We just stuck to our guns and eventually started moving a bit better for each other and the intensity went up from us in that third quarter.”