mmg.com.au

Kyabram made a solid start to the new football season with a 52-point win over Essendon District Football League Club Pascoe Vale at Kyabram on Saturday.

The big plus as far as the Bombers were concerned was the performances of the recruits.

The downside was that one of the recruits, Axel Childs, suffered a suspected broken thumb in the game.

Childs showed he is a tough as teak and was one of the many newcomers to show out.

Former Echuca and Nathalia player Tom Sheldon was a standout in defence, continually splitting the visitor’s defence apart with long raking left foot kicks or deadly accurate short passes.

He even ventured forward to have shots on goal, snaring one snorter from 65m out.

Bombers supporters were also asking whether Palm Beach recruit Beau Runnalls could be the small, crumbing goalkicking forward the Bombers have lacked for years.

Nuggety, fearless, unselfish and accurate, Runnalls snared five goals and handed off a couple of others in an impressive debut.

Silky smooth Simon Seddon played with all his typical dash and evasiveness in his first game with the club for two years as did Josh Linton, another former player who has made a return to the club this season, while Brett Davis was another newcomer who looked at home in his debut.

Young ruckman Luke Morris and Brad Ryan never shirked an issue against bigger opponents and look set for big seasons.

Ryan slotted two goals in the last term.

Ryan Emmett was another player returning to the Bombers ranks this season and turned in his usual committed performance.

Bernard Wearden also did some good work at times in his return to the club after several years.

Of the experienced players, Xavier Hilton was great in defence and Brad Edwards worked hard to often free up the ball at the clinches.

Jake Reeves, back from Werribee, played the first half, while Paul Newman played in the second half and quickly slotted successive goals at the start of the third quarter to virtually put Pascoe Vale out of business.

The only notable recruit missing was Chris Atkins, who is expected to play this week.

Kyabram coach Dave Williams was quite happy with his team’s effort.

‘‘Considering a lot of these players were playing together for the first time and it was our first hit-out for the season, there were some good signs,’’ Williams said.

■Kyabram reserves were brushed aside early by Pascoe Vale, who fielded several senior players to make up the numbers.

The visitor kicked the first five goals of the game and held the Bombers goalless for the first half.

But the young Bombers regrouped after half-time and, against diluted opposition, kicked six second-half goals and restricted their opponent to three.

Sean Dillon, who had senior experience last season and is still eligible for the under-18s, was the standout for Kyabram.

Zane Coventry was also a tower of strength in the ruck, Justin Chambers was typically busy, while Tom Davies and Will Wilde, Parkinson and Matt De Cicco, all up from the thirds, showed out at times in an encouraging performance.

This Saturday the Bombers host Bendigo League side Eaglehawk.

The thirds will kick off at 2pm, the reserves at 4pm while senior game kick off will be at 6pm.

There will be no netball matches as Eaglehawk cancelled its involvement.