A marketers dream in the LVFNL as big four face off in marquee match-ups

The four senior games across round four all have plenty in them across the separate weight divisions in the competition.

As expected there's already a clear top four that has established themselves as the heavyweights - Marong, Bridgewater, Pyramid Hill and Bears Lagoon-Serpentine.

Those four teams are all pitted against each other in what will help establish the early pecking order of seedings a month into the season.

At Mitchell Park Pyramid Hill (4^th, 1-2) hosts Bridgewater (2^nd, 3-0), while at Malone Park it's the two-time defending premiers Marong (1^st, 3-0) taking on Bears Lagoon-Serpentine (3^rd, 3-0).

We've already had two games early in the season where "big four" teams have been pitted against each other and both have been ripping contests.

In round one Bears Lagoon-Serpentine edged out Pyramid Hill by 15 points in a shootout where 31 goals were kicked, while last week Marong held off Pyramid Hill by eight points to extend its overall winning steak to a country Victoria-best 35 games in a row.

Marong absorbed an almighty challenge from Pyramid Hill in the grand final rematch, with the 11.13 (79) to 10.11 (71) victory rated by coach Linton Jacobs the best during his tenure at the club outside of finals.

The Panthers were outscored in three of the four quarters and had injury concerns to Matt Grant, Jai Gretgrix and Ryley Taylor by half-time.

Yet the Panthers found a way to get the job done.

Credit where it's due. While Marong is stacked with talent and well coached, for more than two years now - the club last lost a senior game on April 30, 2022 - the Panthers with a target on their back every week have been able to constantly take the best shot the opposition can throw at them and prevail.

And they are going to have to get themselves up to do so again on Saturday against the Bears, who will rightfully bring a strong sense of confidence and belief to Malone Park that they can be the team that puts at end to the Panthers' streak.

Under new coach Jake Wilkinson the Bears have opened their season with wins over Pyramid Hill (15 points), Inglewood (58) and Newbridge (80) with a mix of a familiar and new face leading the charge.

The familiar face is Justin Laird, who after coaching the Bears for the past two years is revelling without the extra burden associated with the coaching role.

Filling the ruck role in the absence of Nathan Twigg, Laird is giving the Bears plenty of impetus in the middle and around the ground, while inside 50 forward Josh Mellington has been unstoppable.

Former Fremantle Docker Mellington has kicked bags of 10, 10 and 15 goals in his first three games for his new club.

Mellington has already kicked a century of goals four times in country Victoria since 2015. At this stage it's a matter of when, not if, Mellington reaches the century for a fifth time this year.

SELECTION NIGHT: this weekend's BFNL, HDFNL, LVFNL, NCFL, CVFLW teams

The Loddon Valley league lost its headline goalkicker during the off-season when Marong's Brandyn Grenfell left the Panthers after 303 goals in 41 games to play with Nyah Nyah West United.

For the record, Grenfell leads the Central Murray league goalkicking after three rounds with 14.

But the deeds of Mellington and Bridgewater's Lachlan Sharp - who both have 35 goals after just three rounds - have ensured big bags of goals have been one of the storylines of the LVFNL season so far.

Like Mellington, it's also shaping as a case of when, not if, Sharp becomes a century goalkicker in his first season with the Mean Machine just like he did in 2017 (142) and 2019 (133) at Strathfieldsaye.

Sharp and fellow co-coach Rick Ladson have certainly got Bridgewater off to a solid start with three-consecutive wins, but Saturday brings the first genuine test of the season against Pyramid Hill. No love lost between these two clubs.

Sharp spoke last week after Bridgewater's 150-point demolition of Inglewood in which he kicked 15 goals of the improving connection on-field among the group and that bodes well for what's on the horizon with the Mean Machine's next three opponents Pyramid Hill, Bears Lagoon-Serpentine and Marong.

There's no greater litmus test in the LVFNL than what lies ahead for the Mean Machine over the next three weeks.

While the calendar has only just ticked into May, Saturday does shape as a critical game for Pyramid Hill.

"Four doesn't go into three" and given the Bulldogs have already lost to Bears Lagoon-Serpentine and Marong, another defeat on Saturday to Bridgewater puts some early pressure on Pyramid Hill as far as the double chance is concerned.

While it's the two battles featuring the top four teams that have the LVFNL spotlight shining brightly on them, the other two games feature four teams that are all chasing their first wins as Inglewood (8^th, 0-2) hosts Newbridge (6^th, 0-3) and Calivil United (9^th, 0-2) takes on Mitiamo (7^th, 0-2), with these the type of "eight point" matches that are going to prove so critical down the track in the fight for fifth spot.

Certainly on paper it has all the makings of a cracking round in the Loddon Valley league.

Elsewhere around the region on Saturday the big question ahead of the Bendigo Football Netball League is can Kangaroo Flat finally shrug off its 23-year hoodoo against Golden Square?

Can't think of any better chances the Roos have had of finally putting to an end their losing streak against their neighbours that is now at a staggering 45 games than what they will have on Saturday.

Admittedly, the game is at Golden Square's Wade Street, which has long been a fortress for the Bulldogs.

But such has been the turnover of players from last year's premiership team and the youth in the side, this isn't the same calibre of Golden Square outfit that has inflicted heavy defeat upon heavy defeat on the Roos for more than two decades now (Kangaroo Flat last beat Golden Square in round eight of 2001).

Credit to new Kangaroo Flat coach Michael Ellings and his side for its response to its round one shellacking from Sandhurst.

The Addy's weekend football preview, how they match up: BFNL, HDFNL, LVFNL

The Roos were on the end of a 142-point hiding from the Dragons first-up, but they have responded with a pair of wins over Maryborough and South Bendigo to get to 2-1.

While Saturday shapes as a gettable opportunity for the Roos to finally beat their long-time nemesis, bigger picture is a win gets them to 3-1 and in a season where fifth spot genuinely appears up for grabs that's a foundation that gives Kangaroo Flat a case for September optimism.

Golden Square, though, stared down a similar challenge from Castlemaine last week and prevailed, continuing a winning streak over the Magpies that isn't quite as long as that over the Roos, but is now 35 on the trot.

The Bulldogs were able to break their scoring shackles late with seven final-quarter goals against the Magpies that will give them impetus to take into Saturday.

Looking forward to the midfield match-up featuring a couple of VFL-listed guns in Golden Square's Ricky Monti (Essendon) and Kangaroo Flat's Jack Lefroy (Carlton) going at it.

Elsewhere, other highlight games in the region include the Heathcote District and North Central leagues each with a pair of unbeaten teams pitted against each other with North Bendigo hosting White Hills and Birchip-Watchem playing Sea Lake Nandaly.

And there's a big-name inclusion for Natte Bealiba in the Maryborough-Castlemaine District league with Collingwood premiership player and 2011 Brownlow medallist Dane Swan lining up for the Swans against Navarre.