North Clare Roosters made three changes to their side for this very important clash. Tim Siv, Damien Bones and Craig Price were out. In came Hamish Warnock, Damien Ellis and Matt Northeast who was making his A Grade debut.

The Rams had two changes to their line-up. Casey Cooper and Ashley Taylor replaced Josh Davis and Shaun McCarthy.

BBH won the toss and kicked to the northern end with the advantage of a very slight breeze in overcast, cool conditions.

The visitors didn’t waste any time clicking into gear. Nick Schumann received a free following a ball-up 35 metres out from goal and made no mistake with 90 seconds on the clock.

A couple of minutes later Tim Dalla gathered the footy in defence for the Rams, kicked across goal, Peter Mann gathered, handballed to Andrew Purchase who kicked to the broadcast wing, Schumann gathered and passed to Stephen Tohl who took a good mark 55 metres from goal.

Tohl split the centre with a magnificent kick from 60 metres out and the Rams were looking good.

Geoff Thompson received a free at the re-start, found Tom Martin on the outer wing, handball to David Reed who had a bounce, ran to fifty, kicked to full-forward, Jason Schuppan marked and popped another one through the middle for the visitors.

Cooper received a free in front of the cans bar, kicked over the wing, Daniel Booth gathered, dished out a good handball to Purchase who kicked to the hotspot, Nick Stacey roved the crumbs and snapped truly from 30 metres out.

BBH had nailed the opening four goals of the game with only 9 minutes gone.

The Rams won the centre clearance but finished with a rushed behind. They had another chance to goal soon after but Tohl slammed the footy into the large upright from close range.

At the 15-minute mark Sam Pink received a free for a high tackle, poked it through the middle from 15 metres out and the Roosters were on the board.

Two minutes later BBH answered when Thompson was rewarded for a good tackle on Simon Jaeschke and threaded the footy through the middle from 45 metres out in front of the complex.

Josh Hollitt won the centre clearance for North resulting in a ball-up deep inside their fifty, John Nicholas roved the footy, easily broke a tackle, handballed to Matt Ward and he snapped successfully.

One minute into the time-on period Ben Wandel marked a clearing kick out of defence by the Rams, received a fifty-metre penalty and made no mistake from 20 metres out.

A good finish to the quarter by North following the excellent start to the game by BBH had the margin back to 14 points at the first huddle.

QUARTERTIME: BBH 5.2 (32), NORTH 3.0 (18)

The opening stages of the second term was the complete opposite to the first with neither side looking like scoring. The defences from both teams were working overtime repelling any attacking moves coming their way.

Finally with 10 minutes on the clock Tim Crick marked in defence for the Rams, found Schumann on the back-flank who passed to Mann, handball to Schuppan who kicked inside fifty, Booth marked, played on and guided through a great goal from the pocket.

The Roosters answered three minutes later. Ward received a free, kicked forward, Matt Wandel gathered and found brother Ben who marked and nailed his second major with a good kick from 45 metres out.

North won the centre clearance finishing with Ellis who marked 30 metres out from goal directly in front but he missed the target. Warnock had a snap at goal following the kick-in but it was thumped through for a point.

Ellis had another opportunity to boot his first goal a couple of minutes later but he failed to convert again after marking 35 metres out.

Approaching the time-on period Ward gathered the footy, handballed forward, was decked after he disposed of the footy, Grant Jaeschke accepted the free in the centre, was given a seventy-metre penalty and popped it through the middle from the goal-square.

The umpires were dishing out the fifties for back-chatting but the language that was coming out of one of the umpire's mouth back to the players left a lot to be desired.

A much better quarter by North cut the deficit back to 5 points at the long break.

HALFTIME: BBH 6.2 (38), NORTH 5.3 (33)

BBH stretched their lead early in the second half.

Schuppan received a free backward of the broadcast wing, found Reed who went short to James Reilly in the centre, Reilly kicked to half-forward and Purchase took a strong contested mark.

Purchase spotted Martin on the scoreboard flank, delivered to him, he marked, split the centre from 50 metres out and the Rams were 11 points up with 3 minutes on the clock.

Mann received a free at the re-start, kicked to half-forward, Reed marked but hooked his kick going for distance and finished with a point.

Hollitt marked the kick-in, passed to Brendan Pudney who marked, received a fifty-metre penalty, kicked inside fifty, Ellis marked, kicked the goal and the margin was back to a goal approaching the 6-minute mark.

The Rams answered.

Mann received a free for a high tackle 70 metres from goal, passed to Stacey who marked in the scoreboard pocket and booted his second major from 40 metres out with 8 minutes gone.

Following the re-start there was a boundary throw-in on the complex flank, Reed did the roving, went short to Purchase who marked, was grabbed by a Rooster, received a fifty-metre penalty and popped through another major for the visitors.

North won the centre clearance getting the footy to Ellis but he failed to convert from 40 metres out.

North went back into attack but Cooper marked, found Purchase on the broadcast side who marked, played on, kicked to half-forward, Tohl marked with good use of the body and sailed it straight through the high diddle diddle with a wonderful kick from 55 metres out.

BBH now had a handy 23-point buffer with 15 minutes gone in the third term.

North rallied. Tyson Pawley took a good mark in defence, kicked over the outer wing, Northeast gathered, handballed to Ben Wandel and he snapped a much-needed goal from 45 metres out.

Three minutes into the time-on period Ward gathered the spilt footy from a Ram defender who tried to break a tackle, handballed to Hollitt who had three bounces, handballed forward, Pink gathered, went short to Dan Wandel who marked, played on and kicked truly.

Approaching siren time Schuppan marked the footy with good use of the body 35 metres out, the siren blew, he kicked for goal, it would’ve been very handy for the visitors if it went through, it didn’t and the deficit was two goals on the home turn.

THREE QUARTER TIME: BBH 10.4 (64), NORTH 8.4 (52)

North won the clearance from the opening bounce of the final term with Ward having a shot for goal but it was rushed through for a behind. Ward had another shot for goal a few minutes later but it went through off hands for a point.

At the 6-minute mark Pudney gathered the footy from a boundary throw-in, handballed to Northeast, handball to Hollitt who had a bounce, kicked inside fifty, Ellis roved the crumbs, found Hollitt in front of the scoreboard who marked, played on and split the centre from 35 metres out.

BBH had the opportunity to nail their first goal for the final term with 10 minutes gone but Thompson missed the target from a tight angle in the canteen pocket.

rant Jaeschke bombed in long from full-back to the outer side, Pudney gathered, kicked to the scoreboard flank, Ellis was given a free, sailed it home from 50 metres out and the Roosters were in front for the first time in the game with 11 minutes on the clock.

The Rams hit back. Darren Schuppan gathered the footy from a ball-up in defence, kicked forward, Thompson got hold of it, kicked inside fifty, Tohl took a strong pack mark, booted his third major and they were back in front by 5 points.

Approaching the time-on period Ben Wandel marked 35 metres out from goal straight in front but he jabbed at the footy and missed the target.

The Rams transferred the footy down the other end of the ground from the kick-in, Thompson marked 40 metres out from goal, went back, kicked for goal, the footy bounced off the goal-line back into play and James Knappstein cleared for North.

Knappstein found Pawley who found Hollitt, he kicked to the outer wing, Craig Jaeschke gathered, handballed forward, Northeast gathered, kicked to the scoreboard pocket, Pink gathered, handballed to Ellis who handballed to the goal-square, Ben Wandel gathered, snapped the goal and North were back in front.

Two minutes into the time-on period Ward snapped for goal but it went through off hands for a point. BBH went forward from the kick-in with Jason Schuppan marking and bombing for goal from 60 metres out but it bounced through for a behind.

A minute later the siren blew and North had won a ripper of a contest by 2 points.

FINAL SCORE: NORTH CLARE 11.8 (74) d BBH 11.6 (72)

North Clare coach Craig Jaeschke thought it was a good game of footy and was happy to get over the line.

“It was a good game, it would’ve been a good game to watch, it was a good game to play in and really at the end of the day it could’ve gone either way so we were probably a little bit lucky to get over the line really. What I asked my players to actually do in the first quarter they didn’t go out and do, they were too loose, they weren’t accountable, we sort of changed that around and we ground it out and we eventually got a win,” Jaeschke said.

BBH coach Peter Whittlesea was a bit disappointed with his team’s discipline.

“I’m probably more disappointed than a lot of the other games in some ways because we did a lot of undisciplined things, there were a few fifties, there was at least three times we should’ve shepherded guys and they got caught that they turned into automatic goals and there were two other occasions where guys were almost lairising and got caught that turned into straight goals too. You can’t have three fifties, three lairising things and three missed shepherds that all resulted in their forward movement and at least five of them were goals so you can’t expect to win games when you do those things,” Whittlesea said.