Sport
6 August, 2025
Bombers re-sign senior coach
A TOUGH day out at Bushfield for Cobden’s senior footballers on Saturday, with the top of the ladder home team running out 68 point winners.
The first quarter saw both teams kick three goals before North Warrnambool asserted its dominance to run out 17.12.114 to 7.4.46 winners.
“We were super happy with our first quarter, North Warrnambool then really controlled the second and third quarters,” Cobden coach Brody Mahoney said.
“We played well again in the final quarter. It was disappointing to match them for half the game yet still get beaten by as much as we did. They showed us why they are the competition benchmark.”
Grady Rooke and Paul Pekin were best for the Bombers in the loss.
“Grady was super, we had a few out so we had to put him into the midfield, his pressure was strong and he was our most consistent performer.
“When we were playing well on Saturday, it was Paul who was the one controlling it.”
Mahoney also praised Matt Clarke and Sam Lucas for their efforts.
“Coming back from a back injury, Matt held up well, he had around 25 hitouts and really nullified (North Warrnambool coach) Nathan Vardy’s effectiveness.
“Sam had a heap of touches, 14 marks and played well down back, he’s been an important player for us all year.”
In better news for the Bombers, Mahoney has been re-signed as coach for the 2026 season.
“The prospect of continuing the work we have been doing really excites me,” Mahoney said.
“I never gave it a second thought when the club asked about doing it again, I was always all in.”
Next year will be Mahoney’s fourth season in the role and third as the sole coach after co-coaching with Dan Casey in 2023.
“We are lacking in experience but the games we have got into some very talented young players has been a huge plus.
“Retaining and continuing to develop that young talent will be the number one priority.”
Now that Mahoney is locked in, Cobden will look to add to its list in 2026.
“Of course we will look to add some recruits to complement our list, we’ve narrowed down a few areas and specific roles we’ll be looking for.”
Finishing 2025 off strongly is still a priority for Mahoney.
“We want to play well and keep building towards next year.
“We’ve shown natural progression this year and in most games apart from 10 minutes here or there our results have been promising.
“We are doing a lot right.”
Cobden has this week off as part of the split round, the Bombers resuming on August 16 against Warrnambool at the Cobden Community Bank Recreation Reserve.
It was a different story in the reserves football with Cobden scoring a strong 50 point win, 12.8.80 to 4.6.30.
Tully Darcy, Safari McVilly and Tom Mahony were Cobden’s best, with Louis Robertson kicking three goals and two each to Darcy, Thomas Spokes and Blake Mottram.
The under 18 game saw North Warrnambool get the points with an 11.11.77 to 3.5.23 win.
Oscar Norman kicked two goals, with Ollie Rial, Micah Darcy and Cooper Beard best for the Bombers.
In the under 16s at Cobden on Sunday, North Warrnambool had a strong 19.10.124 to no score win.
Darnel Nguena, Lenny Walsh and Broly Henderson were best for Cobden in the loss.
The season is now over for the under 16s, Cobden finishing on the bottom of the ladder.
In the under 14 game, North Warrnambool was too strong, scoring an 11.5.71 to 3.3.21 win.
Fletcher White, Alby Jones and Ace Roberts were Cobden’s best.
The under 14 Bombers finish the season in ninth position.
North Warrnambool had a 13.8.86 to 1.1.7 win in the under 12 football.
Crawford Dunn, Harry White and Anderson Pekin were best for the junior Bombers.
In the Open netball, Cobden scored a strong 61-41 win, the Bombers’ 11th victory of the season.
“We were happy with our start, we were playing with great intensity and variety for the first half,” Cobden coach Nadine McNamara said.
The Bombers went into the half time break with a 38-18 lead.
“But we were disappointed with our third quarter, North lifted their second phase and goal circle defensive intensity and we didn’t adjust.
“This led to us being wasteful with our possession, which is something we will look to improve in coming weeks.”
The Bombers finished by outscoring North Warrnambool 16 to nine in the final term.
Alicia Blain, Jess McGlade and Jaymie Finch were Cobden’s best.
“Our defenders had a really consistent game, Alicia at wing defence and Jess at goal defence worked tirelessly to create pressure higher up the court, which led to a lot of turnovers and opportunities for us,” McNamara said.
“Also it was great to have Molly Hutt available at goal shooter, she and Jaymie have been combining well together.”
Finch scored 36 goals and Hutt 19 in the win.
With three games to play, Cobden is still within striking distance of a top three finish.
“We are looking forward to having the week off to reset, before preparing to take on Warrnambool, a must win game for us if we want to keep our chances of a top three finish alive.”
In the division one netball, Cobden recorded a 46-44 win.
Hannah Anderson, Kyla Groves and Jessica Walsh were Cobden’s best, with Jessica Bouchier shooting 24 goals and Anderson 12.
North Warrnambool got the points in division two with a 38-30 win.
Alysha Kelly, Jessica Anderson and Leah Dickson were best for the Bombers, with Hailey Mahony scoring 27 goals.
North Warrnambool was too strong in the division three game, scoring a 44-20 win.
Cara Wheatley, Caitlyn Mahony and Eisha Howard were best for the Bombers, with Maggie Conheady scoring 13 goals.
North Warrnambool had a big 61-19 win in the 17 and under netball.
Cobden’s best were Shelby Mahony, Marley Howard and Mia McVilly, with McVilly scoring seven goals.
In the 17 and under reserves netball, North Warrnambool scored a 47-14 win.
Chali Robbins, Olivia Halliday and Ava Bonner were best for the Bombers, with Bonner scoring 12 goals.
In the 15 and under netball, Cobden had a 20-16 victory.
Best for Cobden were Zaya Howard, Ava Bonner and Athena Chivell, with Bonner shooting 11 goals.
In the 15 and under reserves, Cobden scored a 34-23 win.
For Cobden, Savannah Beames shot 18 goals and Chloe Anderson 16, with Olivia Halliday, Anderson and Beames the Bombers best.
North Warrnambool had a 36-22 win in the 13 and under netball.
Charlotte Dean scored 11 goals for Cobden and Olivia Bignell 10, with Stephanie Fleming, Bignell and Dakoda Baker the Bombers best.
The 13 and under reserves game saw Cobden score a 22-11 win.
Charlotte Robertson, Emma Bonner and Grace Barber were best for the Bombers, with Bonner scoring 14 goals.
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