KYNETON endured a horror day at the Queen Elizabeth Oval against South Bendigo in the Bendigo Bank Bendigo Football League on Saturday.
Between their under-18s, reserves and senior teams, the Tigers kicked just five goals, while the Bloods booted 63 as they won the three games by a combined 391 points.
The most one-sided of the matches was the senior contest, with the Bloods giving captain John Hardinge a 200th game to remember.
The Bloods destroyed the Tigers by 199 points, winning 31.26 (212) to 1.7 (13).
Kyneton’s sole goal was kicked by Leigh Cook in the final minute of the second quarter.
For a club that started the season with such optimism that it could finally begin its ascent up the BFL ladder following an active recruiting campaign, Saturday’s loss was a devastating result that leaves the Tigers 1-9 after 10 rounds.
“Only three weeks ago we kicked 15 goals against Eaglehawk, but you can see when we have a few out that our depth isn’t very good,’’ Tigers president Travis Law said on Saturday night.
“If you don’t have depth then you’re going to get flogged every week, but we’ve got three under-18 kids in the seniors, and Rhys Ellis and Shane Page have been back, so there’s some good young kids we can work with.
“We certainly didn’t expect something like today to happen this year... that’s why we went out and recruited blokes.
“But when stuff like this happens in the second half of the season, that puts you on the back foot already for next year because there’s another couple of hundred dollars on top for players even thinking about coming and having a talk to you.
‘‘I just don’t know where to go.’’
The Tigers were again missing star forward James Condos, who has a hamstring injury.
Kyneton is hopeful Condos – who has kicked 47 goals in seven games – will be fit to return against bottom-side Castlemaine this Saturday, while later in the season he will miss three games while on his overseas honeymoon.
Law said no one at the club was more disappointed with how the season was unfolding for the Tigers than second-year senior coach Paul Houston.
Pre-season Houston told the Bendigo Advertiser: “I’d like to think we’ve got a few wins up our sleeve this year, and that when the whips are cracking towards the end for that fifth spot we will still be in with a shot.’’
But with eight rounds left, the Tigers now look to be in a fight with Castlemaine to avoid what would be their fifth wooden-spoon since 2001.
“Paul is shattered with what has happened,’’ Law said.
“He put a lot of work in recruiting to get a side to be competitive, so to get beaten like that... the whole club kicked five goals for the day, which isn’t good.’’
Saturday’s loss comes on the back of the Tigers being in the news recently for what has been perceived as a mass exodus of players.
However, the only senior players who have left the club mid-season have been Ray Harrison (Oak Park), Michael Agius (East Keilor), Michael Turner (Albion) and Ken Cummings (Castlemaine).
“They are the only four who have played senior footy this year who have gone,’’ Law said. ‘‘You’re not going to get on with everyone; I don’t think there would be a club anywhere in the world where everyone gets on.’’
Meanwhile, Kyneton wasn’t the only BFL club on Saturday to endure a tough round 10.
At Country Vet Oval, Kangaroo Flat kicked just eight goals in its three games against Golden Square, which kicked 64.
The Bulldogs won the senior clash by 141 points, 29.21 (195) to 7.12 (54), with full-forward Grant Weeks bagging another 11 goals.
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