In Aaron Connaughton’s first six seasons with South Bendigo, playing finals footy was as regular as clockwork.
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While the Bloods didn’t taste the ultimate success between 2007-2012, they did make the finals every year, had two grand final appearances and contested a preliminary final.
For Connaughton and the Bloods, playing footy in September was an expectation rather than a celebration.
2013 through to 2016 was a different story.
The Bloods missed the finals for four-straight years for the first time since 1976-80.
It was a tough period for South Bendigo and its captain, but 2017 has shown there is light at the end of the tunnel.
The Bloods sit on top of the ladder ahead of Saturday’s match-of-the-round clash with old foe Sandhurst at the QEO.
It’s the annual battle for the Graeme Wright Memorial Cup and it will be Connaughton’s 150th senior game for the Bloods.
“The milestone is nice, but this week is more about us keeping our form and momentum going,’’ Connaughton, who is now co-captain with Kieran Strachan, said.
“We had a tough few years, but we’ve come out the other side and we’ve enjoyed a few wins which makes the mood around the club more enjoyable.
“Things are going really well around the club at the moment.
“We have depth across the seniors and reserves and there is competition for spots.
“We’ve played consistent footy this year. We beat the three bottom sides in our first three wins and then to knock off a top five side (Kyneton) last week gave us some confidence heading into this period where we play three top sides.”
Sandhurst is South Bendigo’s biggest test so far in 2017.
The Dragons are the reigning premiers and they’ve beaten the Bloods in their past seven encounters by an average margin of 70 points.
“We haven’t won the Graeme Wright Memorial Cup for a few years now, so it would be nice for us to knock off a top side like Sandhurst,’’ Connaughton said.
“Sandhurst are missing a few players through injury, but they’re still a quality side.
“It’s disappointing for us that (forward) Kaiden (Antonowicz) hurt his ankle last week because he’d had such a good start to the season.
“We just have to find someone else to step up and we still managed to kick a winning score without him last week.
“It’s a great opportunity for the club.”
