Sport
6 May, 2026
Strong finish from Bombers
A FAST finishing Cobden team fell just short in its round four Hampden League senior football match at Hamilton’s Melville Oval on Saturday.
Despite the Bombers kicking five goals to one in the last quarter, Hamilton held on to record a 10.9.69 to 10.6.66 victory.
“We almost got it, just not quite there in the end, but we definitely had our opportunities,” Cobden coach Brody Mahoney said.
“We had a couple of shots late that would’ve put us up, but just missed those opportunities in the end - that’s footy.”
Hamilton led all day, and took a 20-point lead into the last quarter.
“As you could tell by the score, it was a fairly windy type of day, with most of the scoring at one end most of the day.
“We managed to make the most of it in the last quarter when we had the wind, I wish we had another few minutes in the end because we had all the momentum going our way.”
The Bombers got through the game unscathed with a few sore bodies but no injuries.
“It was a fairly fast-paced game, so I think both teams were pretty buggered towards the end.
“We probably didn’t quite capitalise early enough in the game and left probably a bit too much to do in the last quarter.”
Archie Taylor’s fantastic early season form continued, with the teenager named as Cobden’s best.
“Arch is playing some super footy, he’s starting to get a little bit more attention from opposition now which is expected; for an 18-year-old kid to have the impact that he’s having at the moment in the midfield is absolutely fantastic.
“If he keeps playing this well, we might not see him much, he’s definitely put his foot in the right direction for what he wants to accomplish with his footy career.”
Another young Bomber in Gus Walsh was also amongst Cobden’s best.
“Gus has had to step into big shoes with us losing (defenders) Sam Lucas and Alfie Armstrong, just experience-wise.
“He’s taken it in full stride really, he’s averaging seven or eight spoils a game, and starting to clunk a few marks, as a 19 year old kid that’s all you can ask for really, he’s just going to keep getting better and better once he starts maturing and filling into the big frame that he’s got.”
Mahoney continued his return from injury with three goals, with Michael Koroneos also kicking three.
“The body is starting to feel better and better each week, which is good.
“I’ll keep building some fitness as the season keeps rolling on, and eventually start to progress into playing more in the midfield and in a few other positions as well, but happy playing forward at the moment.”
This Saturday Cobden host reigning premiers North Warrnambool at the Cobden Community Bank Recreation Reserve.
“It’s a massive challenge for our young group, the competition’s so even that you’ve got to come to every game thinking you’re a chance, I think the boys are excited for the challenge.”
In the reserves, Hamilton had a six point win, 6.8.44 to 5.8.38.
James Hallyburton, Jonty Robertson and Blake Mottram were best for the Bombers in the loss.
Robertson and Mottram both kicked two goals.
Hamilton won the under 18 football by 106 points, 18.15.123 to 2.5.17.
Nate Sambell, Adam Jopling and Broly Henderson were best for Cobden, with Harrison Glennen and Hayden Chamberlain kicking a goal each.
The under 16 game saw Hamilton record a 59 point win, 11.13.79 to 3.2.20.
Best for the under 16 Bombers were Fred Dean, Michael Benallack and Xander Weel, with Sam Robertson kicking two goals and Fletcher White one.
Hamilton had an 11.13.79 to 1.3.9 win in the under 14 match.
Ted Darcy, Koddah Couzens and Max Hinkley were Cobden’s best, with Jack Bourke kicking the lone goal.
Hamilton had a 29 point win in the under 12 football, 5.6.36 to 1.1.7.
Best for the under 12 Bombers were Nash Kent, Braxton Srdoc, Harry White, with the goal kicked by Quinn Pekin.
The Open netball saw Cobden register its first victory of the season with a thumping 73-31 win.
“Going over to Hamilton, we were quite cautious that they’ve been scoring quite high margins in their games, and we knew that their goal shooter Kelsey Lewis had been scoring a large volume of their goals,” Cobden coach Nadine McNamara said.
“So we were really wary of the challenge that that would bring.
“I felt like our preparation last week was a lot more succinct, and I felt like we started really strong and built from there on Saturday.”
Lewis was held to 21 goals, with Jess McGlade, Matilda Darcy and McNamara all taking turns to play on the Kangaroos goal shooter.
But it was the attacking end McNamara was most pleased with.
Emily Finch scored 45 goals with Jess Bouchier shooting 26, the pair named as the Bombers best.
“I thought our attacking end was really fantastic, our centre pass structures were executed really well and our ball usage was a lot better compared to previous weeks, and our centre pass conversions showed that as well, with a really high percentage.
“We forget that Emily’s had a year off, she’s coming back from an achilles injury and a pregnancy, it’s been nice to see Em build into her season, I felt she really showcased her strength and accuracy on the weekend.”
Young Bomber Jess Walsh was also named in the best.
“Jess was great, she played across centre and wing attack, I was really proud of her, she sustained an ankle injury on Wednesday, and we didn't know how she was going to go.
“But with having a few players away and unavailable, Jess was keen to strap up her ankle and give it a go, she was amazing out there, she made some really nice choices in attack and helped set up some really great passages of play.”
This week eighth-placed Cobden play sixth-placed North Warrnambool.
“They’ve had quite a similar start to the year to us, we were lucky enough to play North Warrnambool in a pre-season tournament in Ballarat, so we’ve had a bit of a look at some of their combinations.
“It’s nice not going in totally blind, they’ve got a couple of new recruits which changes up their goal circle rotation, so we know defensively we’re going to need to be putting a lot of pressure on higher up the court because they are quite accurate on the post.”
The division one netball saw Hamilton have a 41-22 win.
Isabelle Hutt and Tilly Dent were best for Cobden in the loss, with Steph Mahony shooting 10 goals.
Cobden got the points with a 39-31 win in the division two game.
Steph Mahony, Ashlee Merrett and Emily Hickey were best for the division two Bombers, with Steph Mahony shooting 35 goals.
The division three game saw Cobden register a 34-32 win.
Eisha Howard, Tonya Spokes and Chelsea Skuza were best for Cobden, with Eisha Howard shooting 26 goals.
Hamilton was too strong in the 17 and under netball, winning 36-22.
Best for Cobden were Hannah Robertson, Sophie Halliday and Marley Howard, with Robertson and Howard shooting 11 goals each.
There was no game for Cobden’s 17 and under reserves with Hamilton not fielding a team in that grade in 2026.
Hamilton scored a 48-19 win in the 15 and under netball.
Stephanie Fleming, Lily Baxter and Charlotte Dean were best for the Bombers, with Dean shooting nine goals.
In the 15 and under reserves, Hamilton had a 20-8 win.
Best were Mollie Rochfort, Dekohda Baker and Olivia Halliday, with Baker shooting six goals.
The 13 and under game saw Hamilton record a 27-24 win.
Alice Dennis, Zahlia Hill and Katie Hansford were best for Cobden, with Hill shooting 16 goals.
The 13 and under reserves game saw Hamilton score a 35-14 win.
Charlotte Phillips, Alexis Bamford and Ella Davis were best for the Bombers in the loss, with Phillips shooting nine goals.
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