Injuries hurt Bulls

By JARROD POTTER
THE dreaded Noble Park injury curse struck again in the Bulls’ 55-point win over Croydon.
Facing the wooden spooners, Noble Park had to contend with Dandenong Stingrays listed Trent Cody breaking his ankle to finish off his debut season in the seniors after only three games.
The Bulls went through the motions against the Blues, with forward mainstay Shayne Allen (four goals), and first-season forwards Luke Cody (three) and Thomas Wilkinson (three) too strong in the crunch moments.
The game broke open after half time, with the Bulls kicking nine goals to three to make sure no one forgot which side was the back-to-back champion and which was set for relegation.
Noble Park coach Mick Fogarty said following a dust-up in the second term, the Bulls set about earning the four points properly.
“We had control of the game right the way through, except for a 15-minute period in the second quarter – they got a hold of us a bit,” Fogarty said.
“We didn’t settle down after a bit of a blue and they seemed to play it on their terms and score a couple of goals through our undisciplined plays.
“It was a real bog and a real struggle.”
Fogarty praised the efforts of Mladen Josic in the backline, with Jarrod Plymin, Bobby Kemperman and Nathan Brown also making up the best for the Bulls.
While Trent Cody was added to the unavailable list, some relief is starting to trickle through – Luke Mann, Ben Keane and Tim Kelly got back into the mix while Nick Williams, Craig Jacotine and Sammy Monaghan are all expected back for next week’s clash against Blackburn at home on Saturday.
Noble Park sits fifth on the ladder, with only percentage separating the Bulls from second place.