The inexperienced Gold responded to a thumping loss last round and took it up to its country rivals, one of the competition’s former powerhouses.

Bendigo led halfway through the second quarter and was still right in the contest when it trailed by just 20 points at three-quarter time.

But the physical cost took its toll on the Gold in the final quarter, when it didn’t have any fit players on the bench. 

Bendigo conceded 12 goals and kicked just one in the last quarter, captain Steve Stroobants’ second of the game, in the 85-point loss.

North Ballarat’s 21.15 (141) to 7.14 (56) victory wasn’t a true reflection of the game, Gold coach Aussie Jones said.

“The three quarters is a reflection of our performance tonight.” Jones said.

“That last quarter is not a reflection of how we went down.

“The first three quarters when we demanded effort and intensity the boys were fantastic.

“I’ve made it very clear to our coaches and all our staff we need to make it very clear what happened in the last.

“We didn’t have a rotation, we didn’t have any legs, We know the opposition kicked 12, but it wasn’t through anything we could control.

“We had five players on the bench who couldn’t go back on, we had four or five on the ground and they couldn’t come off.”

After last week’s record loss to the Northern Blues the heat was on the Gold players early to see how they would respond.

Kicking to the Barnard Street end with a slight breeze in the first term, the Gold controlled the contest thanks to a midfield which got on top and a solid backline led by centre half-back Patrick Flynn and full-back Daniel McLinden.

Dean Putt had control in the ruck and Rhys Clarke, James Brooker and Stroobants helped pump the ball inside 50m 17 times to the Roosters’ 11.

But the Gold didn’t get reward for effort.

Bendigo had the first six inside 50m, but couldn’t goal, while the Roosters booted the first through Nathan Horbury from its first entry after eight minutes.

The Gold kicked its first major when Brooker finished off a brilliant piece of running football from the midfield.

That the Gold went into quarter time in front was a positive, but the two-point lead was less than it might have been.

That changed early in the second as the Gold booted the first through Clarke and defender Tom Hams to lead by 13 points.

But the Roosters kicked into gear thereafter and dominated the term. 

North kicked six goals to one point after the 12-minute mark, including three to Aaron Black, to lead by five goals at the long break.

It was all Bendigo after the restart, with the Gold’s Dean Putt and Stroobants each booting a major to help reduce the margin to only 13 points.

Marcus Darmody slotted a steadier for North, before Ricky Thomson was the beneficiary of Jake Aarts’ bullocking up forward to kick Bendigo’s sixth. 

Trailing 6.11 to 9.13 at the final change the Gold was close enough to challenge, but didn’t have the manpower.

The Roosters booted three goals in five minutes, one to Ben Jacobs and the next two to Jason Linke, to spark a procession to the Barnard Street end.

Bendigo thought the 37.19 quarter would never end as North kicked the first 11 goals of the term before Stroobants’ second.

Centre clearances – Gold 12, North Ballarat 18

Clearances – Gold 23, North Ballarat 13, 

Free kicks – Gold 30, North Ballarat 16.

Inside 50m – Gold 47, North Ballarat 37.