Harvey-Brunswick-Leschenault earned bragging rights over cross town rivals the Harvey Bulls on Sunday afternoon with a 20 point victory in the 2017 Harvey Fresh Cup.
Lion Jarrad Watson kicked the first goal of the round two clash before Mark Cherubino equalised at the other end for the Bulls.
Kale Triplett kicked HBL’s second while Kristin Thornton opened his account with the Lion’s third goal.
Harvey struggled to hit a target at half-forward with the Lions strong defence repeatedly picking the ball off and turning it around.
Thornton was unable to thread a tight angled shot after the quarter time siren to see the Lions leading 3.1.19 to 1.2.8.
A 50 metre penalty gave Harvey’s David Faulkner the opening goal of the second term while Thornton was forced off the field through the blood rule with a wound on his right knee.
A snap under pressure gave the talented Jacob Pickett his first goal of the game with Jordan Fimmano adding another for the Bulls 30 seconds later.
With the momentum in their favour, Harvey continued to push hard and Pickett’s second goal extended the margin to 19.
A late major to David Newman after a 50 metre penalty kept the Lions in the hunt, although he also missed two gettable chances during the second term.
With the breeze in their favour, HBL started the third term with a renewed determination and scored the first four goals – two to Dylan Heasman and one each to Luke Slater and Jake Bloomfield.
Solid tagging from the Lions and pressure growing on the scoreboard forced the Bulls to look frustrated, rushing to use the ball when it was in their possession.
A fifth goal for the term to the Lions through Thornton stretched the three-quarter time margin out to 19.
Harvey coach Paul Fimmano urged his players to lift their intensity with a favourable breeze in the final term but it was to no avail.
Triplett kicked his second major early in the final term and another to Slater piled the pain on the Bulls.
Harvey managed the last two majors of the match but it was too little, too late. The final score favoured the Lions 11.11.77 to 8.9.57.
HBL coach Derek Hall described the win as dogged, noting it was always nice to win a game against the Bulls.
He also confirmed an extended absence for Lloyd Beever who injured his knee against Busselton in round one.
Earlier in the day, the Harvey Bulls women’s side recorded their first ever win with a shock defeat of HBL 9.5.59 to 2.0.12 in front of a big home crowd and passionate supporter Nola Marino, the Federal Member for Forrest who was only too happy to join in the club song.
In round three, HBL host Carey Park at Brunswick Oval while Harvey travel to play Busselton.