Point Cook’s runaway 89-point win over cellar-dweller South Melbourne Districts has moved it to within a game of the Victorian Amateur Football Association division 3 top six.
After a slow start to life in the division, the Bulldogs are starting to put together a solid body of work that suggests they are ready to move away from the relegation zone and start their climb up the ladder.
But Bulldogs coach Ian Denny is still adopting a cautious outlook.
“We’re just focusing on people staying competitive and being in the contest,” he said.
“We’ve actually been competitive in games for long periods, but just not for long enough.”
Point Cook produced its best four-quarter performance in the mauling of South Melbourne Districts at Saltwater Reserve on Saturday.
The Bulldogs sizzled with 11 goals to two after half-time, finishing with 32 scoring shots to eight.
Tristan Furr, Alex Grigg and Marcus Groves were outstanding for the Dogs, while Jordan Steen put the icing on a sweet cake with five goals.
Grigg has a massive role to play in the ruck for Point Cook going forward.
He answered the call when ruckman Andrew Robinson suffered a fractured hand that could see him miss the rest of the season.
“He’ll have to step up now and take the responsibility of the ruck,” Denny said.
Point Cook was without Andrew Auciello, arguably the most influential player in the first six rounds.
Auciello has missed the past two weeks, robbing the Bulldogs of valuable leg speed.
“He’s been our best player this year,” Denny said. “He’s our quickest player, he’s really smart and agile and he’s got a big tank.”
Mason Kip, the club captain, made his return from an ankle injury.
This season’s Point Cook side is relatively young, but Denny is happy to roll with it this season and beyond to build the team for the future.
After a high turnover of players from last season, the Bulldogs refused to take the easy way out of quick fixes and happily promoted from within.
“What we’ve tried to do is make sure the players are mostly Point Cook players,” Denny said. “The club has to promote youth and their own players within the club instead of looking outside.
“I’m happy to give the young ones a game, no worries at all.”
Point Cook has a week’s break for the Queen’s Birthday before a crucial meeting with second-last Albert Park.
Meanwhile, in a clash of top four teams, Westbourne Grammarians lost to Swinburne University by 43 points.
The Warriors go into the break sitting fourth with a 4-4 record.
