He walked away after the 22-point defeat suitably impressed by North Bendigo, but not daunted by any future meetings the Grasshoppers might have with the Bulldogs in 2015.

“We never looked like winning the game, but we stayed in the game. We didn’t let the game become a blowout,’’ Morgan said.

“North are a very, very good side. They’re well-drilled, they move the ball well and they are physically strong.

“They’re not unbeatable, but you’re going to need to play some very good footy to knock them off.

“We only had eight or nine contributors on Saturday. To beat North you need everyone contributing.”

The Bulldogs set up their 16.14(110) to 13.10 (88) win with a dominant first quarter.

They kicked six of the first seven goals of the game to lead by 27 points at the first change.

They built on that lead in the second and third terms before Colbo stormed home with a five-goal to two final term.

North Bendigo co-coach Rob Bennett said a shock defeat to White Hills in the corresponding round last year was the inspiration for the Dogs’ fast start on Saturday.

“Through the week we put a big emphasis on the fact we let our guard down against White Hills in round two last year,’’ Bennett said.

“No matter what happens the week before you have to reset and to our guys credit they executed what we asked them to do, particularly early on with their pressure.

“I thought we controlled the game for most of the day, but to Colbo’s credit they kept coming at us.”

Ruckman Troy Kelm was outstanding for the Bulldogs.

The big man took more than 15 marks in a dominant performance.

Jordan Ford put his hand up to play on Grant Weeks and he didn’t let the Bulldogs down, restricting the Colbo star to three goals.

Shaun Kellow, Jaran McKay and Daniel Reid also played well in an even performance from the Dogs.

Key forwards Sam Barnes and Brady Herdman bagged nine goals between them.

Tom Hill was Colbo’s best player, while midfielder Russell Douglas kicked four goals and Morgan was happy with the efforts of Mitch McEvoy and Matthew Riordan on Barnes and Herdman respectively.

At Tint-A-Car Oval, Huntly made it two wins from as many games with a resounding 62-point win over White Hills.

On a day where both teams had issues in front of goal, the Hawks were more efficient with the ball and had key forward Chris Gleeson bag eight goals on their way to a 17.18 (120) to 7.16 (58) win.

Gleeson was the difference between the two teams.

The big forward followed his nine-goal haul in round one with eight goals against the Demons.

The fleet-footed Gavin James set up the Hawks off half-back and through the middle of the ground.

Former Golden Square big man Jamie Garner, Matthew Jefferies and Ethan Hocking all impressed for Huntly.

Matt Sawyer was the only multiple goalkicker for the Demons with two majors.

The veteran ruckman also did a lot of good work around the ground.

Former Strathfieldsaye Storm forward Jake Dickens showed good signs for his new club, teenager Doolan Nihill continued his bright start to the season and Hayden Wright did plenty of ground work for the Demons through the middle of the ground.

Mount Pleasant opened its account for 2015 with a 27-point win over reigning premier Lockington-Bamawm United.

An eight-goal haul from Shannon Milward and a standout performance from star recruit Simon Seddon set up the Blues’ 19.9 (123) to 15.6 (96) win.

After an even first quarter, the Blues added five goals to three in the second quarter to open up a 21-point lead at the main break.

The Cats had enough of the ball in the third quarter to make inroads on the scoreboard, but the Blues made the most of their forward entries, kicking 5.0 for the term.

That gave the home side a four-goal break at the last change and, despite LBU’s best efforts in the final quarter, the Blues had all the answers in the final quarter.

Seddon arrived at Toolleen with big wraps and he didn’t let Blues’ supporters down on Saturday with a best on ground performance. The midfielder kicked three goals and a plethora of possessions.

At 37 years of age Milward’s best football is behind him, but he showed on Saturday he can still have a major influence on a game.

The veteran’s kicking for goal was brilliant. He received great support from Nick Grigg, who bagged four goals.

LBU showed marked improvement from the heavy round one loss to North Bendigo.

Jeremy Mundie and Karl Oliver bagged five goals each for the Cats, while Marcus Angove and Matt Bongiovanni were their best players.

After having the bye in round one, Elmore started its 2015 season in the best way possible, thumping Heathcote by 59 points at Pigeon Park.

The Bloods showed why they’ve been regarded as one of the HDFL’s big improvers this season.

After leaking goals too easily in the past few seasons, the Bloods put a lot of pressure on the Saints’ midfield and didn’t allow the home side any flow in their game.

Heathcote only kicked four goals in the first three quarters of the match before doubling that total in the final quarter when the fizz had gone out of the game.

While the Saints didn’t have a multiple goalkicker, the Bloods found strong avenues to goal through Danny Brewster, Wade Bonham and Troy Banfield who kicked 11 goals between them.

Brewster, Matt Gilmour and Spike Ingley were best for the Bloods in an encouraging start to the season.