Bridgewater extended its winning streak against Mitiamo to 18 when it scored a thrilling two-point win in round three of the Loddon Valley Football Netball League.
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The Mean Machine withstood a stirring second-half comeback from the Superoos to win 11.14 (80) to 11.12 (78).
The Superoos, who trailed by 32 points at the main break, only had themselves to blame after wasting several goal scoring chances in the final quarter.
Coach Justin Maddern was the chief offender, kicking 1.8 for the day.
“It was certainly a game we could have won, but we missed a few chances across the day and a couple of 50m penalties hurt us as well,’’ Maddern said.
“We’ll work on those things through the week… I think I need some goal kicking practice.”
Maddern was proud of the way his side bounced back from a five-goal deficit.
“Last year we would have put the cue in the rack and thought it was too hard,’’ Maddern said.
“This time around we kept at them and kept working hard. That was the most pleasing thing for me today. We’ll take some confidence out of this game for sure.”
Bridgewater coach Marc Lindsay said the Mean Machine held up well under pressure in the final quarter.
“We kicked inaccurately in the second half (1.8) and couldn’t put scoreboard pressure on Mitiamo and to their credit they just kept coming at us,’’ Lindsay said.
“It was a really high contested game with both teams going at each other…. and thankfully we came out on top.”
Star midfielder Zeb Broadbent se the tone for Bridgewater with another dominant performance, while recruit Liam Jacques showed his class across half-forward and through the middle of the ground.
Darren Clutton had the job on Maddern after Daniel Nalder left the ground late in the first quarter with an injured ankle.
Former Kangaroo Flat midfielder Jarry Wiegard was Mitiamo’s best player for the second-straight game, while Terry Reeves and Mitch Sidebottom stood out as well.
Bridgewater’s win lifted it above Mitiamo into third place on the ladder with a 2-1 record. The Superoos slipped to fifth.
Pyramid Hill opened its account for 2017 with a hard-fought 29-point win over Marong.
Seven goals from key forward Joe McGrath and greater efficiency inside forward 50 were the difference for the Dogs as they ground out a 14.9 (93) to 8.16 (64) win.
“It was probably a frustrating game to watch because both sides didn’t use the ball as well as they’d like, but in the end we made the most of our opportunities,’’ Pyramid Hill co-coach Brad Fawcett said.
“Marong probably butchered the ball a little bit more than us and we got away with the win.
“It was a key win for us because we couldn’t afford to drop to a 0-3 record.”
Key recruit McGrath, Andrew Dobby and Billy Micevski were instrumental in the Bulldogs’ win.
Dobby and Micevksi were outstanding through the middle of the ground.
“We tried to make sure we gave Joe (McGrath) a few more one-and-one opportunities this week and he rewarded us when we kicked the ball to his advantage,’’ Fawcett said.
“Andew and Billy had been swapping forward, but this week we put them on the ball at the same time. They’ve played a lot of footy together and they know each other’s game well. Their attack on the footy and doing the hard stuff, along with Brad Driscoll, set us up around the stoppages.”
Ruckman Justin Hynes was best for the Panthers, who are on the bottom of the ladder with a 0-2 record after three rounds.
Callum Williamson, Bryce Franzini, Justin Bateson and Aaron Bateson were other good players for Marong.
Newbridge scored its second win of the season when it defeated Inglewood by 41 points at Riverside Oval.
A five-goal to one third term set up the Maroons’ 16.12 (108) to 10.7 (67) victory.
Star duo Jordan Gilboy and Brad Comer were superb for the home side and big man Tyler Romeril did plenty of hard work.
Sam Kennedy and Austin Fithall kicked five goals between them and gave the Blues’ defence plenty of headaches.
Inglewood looked set for a 10-goal plus belting at three quarter-time, but the Blues hit their straps in the final term, outscoring Newbridge 5.2 to 4.1.
Rees May, Ben O’Sullivan, Ryan McNish and Ben Conley were best for the Blues, who are yet to win in 2017.
Round three started on Good Friday with Calivil United scoring a 51-point win over Maiden Gully YCW Eagles.
The Demons are sitting pretty at the top of the ladder with a 3-0 record.