IT was a run of wins that just kept going and going – through one undefeated season, then another, until it hit the 50-mark.
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But all good things must come to an end and for Maryborough-Castlemaine District Football League club Navarre, its remarkable winning run spread over four seasons came to a halt last Saturday at the hands of Royal Park.
The Grasshoppers’ 14-point defeat to Royal Park – 7.10 (52) to 5.8 (38) – at home ended their run of 50 wins in a row that started on September 7, 2013, and ended July 2, 2016.
THE RESULTS:
The streak started in the finals series of 2013 with a 32-point sudden-death semi-final win over Natte Bealiba at Princes Park.
A week earlier the Grasshoppers had been beaten 14.12 (96) to 10.12 (72) by Newstead in a 2 v 3 qualifying final at Hedges Oval.
That 24-point defeat to Newstead would be the last time for 1036 days the Grasshoppers walked off the field having been beaten.
2013
Win 1: Semi-final – 15.11 (101) d Natte Bealiba 10.9 (69)
Win 2: Prelim final – 13.12 (90) d Carisbrook 13.8 (86)
Win 3: Grand final – 19.13 (127) d Lexton 4.2 (26)
2014
Win 4: Rd 1 – 17.6 (108) d Lexton 11.5 (71)
Win 5: Rd 2 – 25.12 (162) d Harcourt 4.10 (34)
Win 6: Rd 3 – 14.12 (96) d Talbot 11.3 (69)
Win 7: Rd 4 – 27.10 (172) d Campbells Creek 10.7 (67)
Win 8: Rd 5 – 19.13 (127) d Carisbrook 5.8 (38)
Win 9: Rd 6 – 19.14 (128) d Avoca 4.5 (29)
Win 10: Rd 7 – 28.22 (190) d Dunolly 6.4 (40)
Win 11: Rd 8 – 25.12 (162) d Rovers 7.8 (50)
Win 12: Rd 9 – 15.6 (96) d Maldon 4.3 (27)
Win 13: Rd 10 – 19.17 (131) d Newstead 5.3 (33)
Win 14: Rd 11 – 13.13 (91) d Royal Park 2.5 (17)
Win 15: Rd 12 – 26.17 (173) d Campbells Creek 4.4 (28)
Win 16: Rd 13 – 9.10 (64) d Natte Bealiba 6.4 (40)
Win 17: Rd 14 – 20.9 (129) d Trentham 4.6 (30)
Win 18: Rd 15 – 25.10 (160) d Maldon 8.5 (53)
Win 19: Rd 16 – 12.19 (91) d Dunolly 8.5 (53)
Win 20: Qual final – 13.11 (89) d Natte Bealiba 11.5 (71)
Win 21: Prelim final – 13.9 (87) d Lexton 12.8 (80)
Win 22: Grand final – 16.21 (117) d Carisbrook 9.8 (62)
2015
Win 23: Rd 1 – 9.8 (62) d Carisbrook 6.12 (48)
Win 24: Rd 2 – 21.14 (140) d Rovers 6.5 (41)
Win 25: Rd 3 – 8.10 (58) d Natte Bealiba 4.15 (39)
Win 26: Rd 4 – 27.17 (179) d Dunolly 1.3 (9)
Win 27: Rd 5 – 21.16 (142) d Avoca 3.5 (23)
Win 28: Rd 6 – 13.12 (90) d Talbot 8.5 (53)
Win 29: Rd 7 – 24.17 (161) d Campbells Creek 9.5 (59)
Win 30: Rd 8 – 20.11 (131) d Trentham 3.2 (20)
Win 31: Rd 9 – 13.9 (87) d Royal Park 11.10 (76)
Win 32: Rd 10 – 23.21 (159) d Maldon 0.2 (2)
Win 33: Rd 11 – 17.11 (113) d Newstead 0.2 (2)
Win 34: Rd 12 – 12.9 (81) d Lexton 10.3 (63)
Win 35: Rd 13 – 24.8 (152) d Harcourt 8.8 (56)
Win 36: Rd 14 – 15.19 (109) d Carisbrook 9.8 (62)
Win 37: Rd 15 – 22.17 (149) d Rovers 4.4 (28)
Win 38: Rd 16 – 26.5 (161) d Natte Bealiba 11.3 (69)
Win 39: Qual final – 14.12 (96) d Natte Bealiba 8.1 (49)
Win 40: Prelim – 17.7 (109) d Lexton 8.12 (60)
Win 41: Grand final – 17.14 (116) d Carisbrook 8.7 (55)
2016
Win 42: Rd 1 – 13.13 (91) d Carisbrook 8.9 (57)
Win 43: Rd 2 – 19.13 (127) d Lexton 8.8 (56)
Win 44: Rd 3 – 31.10 (196) d Talbot 6.5 (41)
Win 45: Rd 4 – 22.20 (152) d Rovers 4.3 (27)
Win 46: Rd 5 – 14.4 (88) d Trentham 7.7 (49)
Win 47: Rd 6 – 25.24 (174) d Maldon 3.0 (18)
Win 48: Rd 7 – 23.9 (147) d Harcourt 4.3 (27)
Win 49: Rd 8 – 15.12 (102) d Newstead 11.5 (71)
Win 50: Rd 9 – 8.11 (59) d Natte Bealiba 7.6 (48)
THE PLAYERS:
Throughout the winning streak 59 players played in at least one of the victories.
No player played in all 50, with Cody Driscoll, Daniel Reading and Matt Newton having played in the most victories with 48.
Of the 59 players part of the streak, 14 played in at least 40 of the wins
48 wins – Cody Driscoll, Daniel Reading, Matt Newton.
47 – Josh Fowkes.
46 – Ashley Driscoll, Lachlan Slorach, Sam Kaye.
45 – Jayden Fowkes, Nicholas Murphy.
41 – Bryce Tickner, Daniel Parkin.
40 – Aiden Lee, Louis Hannett, Rhett Murphy.
39 – Brent Flood.
36 – Harley McKenny.
32 – Aaron Slorach, Josh Driscoll.
31 – Zach Parry.
29 – Jesse Hannett.
28 – Kris Brennan.
22 – Ben Scott, Billy Parry, Riley Bibby.
17 – Luke Hendy.
16 – Danny Grellet.
15 – Sam Robertson.
13 – Jeremy Harrington.
9 – Ben Martin, Brian Lovison.
8 – Bradley Slorach, Nigel Greenaway, Shaun Clohesy, Thomas Hannett, Tom Kaye 8.
7 – Nathan Holloway.
6 – Austin Squire, Dale Ansell, Paul Carson.
4 – Hayden Thompson, Jackson Birthisel, Matthew Grinham, Tyler McSparron.
3 – Aidan Jensz, Curtis Bibby, Jesse Eckel, Luke Jordan.
2 – James Chettle, Joshua Rathgeber, Luke Brown, Thomas Dyke.
1 – Jacob Piccoli, James Condie-Mckenny, James Reicha, Joshua Monaghan, Luke Wilkinson, Nicholas Pitts, Trent Driscoll, Zane Bigmore.
THE OPPOSITION:
Twenty of the wins came against the trio of Carisbrook (7), Natte Bealiba (7) and Lexton (6).
The Grasshoppers were particularly a constant thorn in the side of Carisbrook during the streak, with it including back-to-back grand final wins over the Redbacks in 2014 and 2015.
And win No.2 came in the 2013 preliminary final when the Grasshoppers shocked the previously unbeaten Carisbrook by four points.
Avoca – 2 wins by 99 and 119.
Campbells Creek – 3 wins by 105, 145 and 102.
Carisbrook – 7 wins by 4, 89, 55, 14, 47, 61 and 34.
Dunolly – 3 wins by 150, 38 and 170.
Harcourt – 3 wins by 128, 96 and 120.
Lexton – 6 wins by 101, 37, 7, 18, 49 and 71.
Maldon – 4 wins by 69, 107, 157 and 156.
Maryborough Rovers – 4 wins by 112, 99, 121 and 125.
Natte Bealiba – 7 wins by 32, 24, 18, 19, 92, 47 and 11.
Newstead – 3 wins by 98, 111 and 31.
Royal Park – 2 wins by 74 and 11.
Talbot – 3 wins by 27, 37 and 155.
Trentham – 3 wins by 99, 111 and 39.
MARGINS:
The average winning margin was 77 points.
Of the 50 matches, the Grasshoppers won 18 by at least 100 points, while just 10 were by less than five goals.
1-9 points – 2
10-19 points – 6
20-29 points – 2
30-39 points – 7
40-49 points – 3
50-59 points – 1
60-69 points – 2
70-79 points – 2
80-89 points – 1
90-99 points – 6
100-149 points – 13
150+ points – 5
AND TO FINISH OFF:
• During the streak Navarre played 200 quarters and won 163, and kicked 915 goals to 333.
• Navarre’s average for per game during the streak was 122 and against was 45.
• The team that ended the streak – Royal Park – had never before beaten Navarre, having gone into the game 0-5 and with an average losing margin of 138 points against the Grasshoppers, who joined the MCDFL in 2011.
• Frankston YCW now has country Victoria’s longest current winning streak at 25.
