The pair are not only fierce rivals, but two of the competition heavyweights, each with 8-2 records, and there’s also silverware up for grabs, with the Golden City Cup the prize for the winner.

The Hawks won their first encounter this season when they used a blistering start to set up a 17-point victory in round three.

North Bendigo hasn’t lost since, with the Bulldogs winning their past seven games by an average of 85 points in which skipper Jarrod Findlay and Sean Morris, who has kicked back-to-back hauls of five goals, have figured regularly among their best players during their streak.

“We’ve learned a lot from when we played Huntly earlier in the season and are gradually improving,” Bulldogs coach Matt Dillon said.

“But in saying that, we saw how good Huntly was in round three and that we will have to be at our best to beat them.

“From now on we need to keep improving each week, which we’ve been able to do over the past month.”

The Bulldogs have a major inclusion in their side with the return of star ruckman Troy Kelm from a quad niggle.

While the Bulldogs have the momentum of seven wins in a row behind them, Dillon is expecting to be confronted by a Huntly side that will be seething following a 29-point loss to LBU last weekend.

Highlighting how tight it is at the pointy end, the Hawks’ defeat last week sent them tumbling from a game clear at the top of the ladder to fourth.

After 11 rounds Leitchville-Gunbower, North Bendigo, Colbinabbin and Huntly all now have 8-2 records and are separated by only percentage from first to fourth.

Across AFL Victoria Country’s 44 leagues, the Heathcote District is one of only two – along with division one of the Yarra Ranges – that has its top four sides all on the same points.

• Saturday’s games – Elmore v Mount Pleasant, North Bendigo v Huntly, LBU v White Hills, Heathcote v Leitchville-Gunbower. Colbinabbin bye.

LOCKINGTON BAMAWM UNITED v. WHITE HILLS  

Lockington Bamawm United

B: B. Phillips, J. Gibbs, L. Collins

HB: J. Wolfe, L. Main, J. Monaghan

C: X.  Kelly, F.  Monahan, J.  Felmingham

HF: N. Dyson, T. Leech, S. Brentnall

F: R. Walsh, J. Howlett, D. Keath

R: T. Phillips, M. Angove, J. Brown

Int: W. Hobbs, S. Wolfe, J. Bacon, Z. Johnston

In: J. Monaghan

Out: R. Bradley 

White Hills

B: J. Avery, A. Bigham, R. Irwin

HB: K. Gellatly, D. Wright, O. Geary

C: B.  Hogan, M.  Curtis, M. Den Houting

HF: J. Allport, J. Flight, B. Parnell

F: J. Waldron, K. Bedford, D. Waldron

R: J. Maher, R. Dickens, J. Ibbeson-Coatsworth

Int: R. Bowles, T. Kilcullen, D. Nihill, B. Vaughan-Spruce

HEATHCOTE v. LEITCHVILLE GUNBOWER 

Heathcote

B: T. Bourke, T. May, G. Delany

HB: J. Kelly, L. Bell, R. Carmichael

C: D.  Hardy, J.  Condon, J.  Formosa

HF: D. King, B. Connelly, B. Klemke

F: T. Pain, A. McIvor, L. Piccolo

R: D. Russell, M. Millard, D. McLean

Int: J. Paisley, V. Romagnano, B. Morgan, K. Seidel

In: T. May

Out: N. Bake 

Leitchville Gunbower

B: B. Gelletly, S. Hay, H. Bussey

HB: B. Ladson, R. Prendergast, M. McEwen

C: B.  Cooke, J.  Gleeson, T.  Lincoln

HF: M. Pollock, J. Donehue, D. Coates

F: B. Walsh, J. Vandongen, M. Perri

R: L. Pollock, M. Ladson, D. Couwenberg

Int: J. Hawken, L. Guinan, M. Pilcher, N. McKenner

In: J. Hawken, M. Perri, D. Coates

Out: R. De Groot, L. Sieben, S. Turvey

ELMORE v. MOUNT PLEASANT  Round 12 

Elmore

B: M. Thomson, N. Brewster, K. Cornell

HB: J. Harney, Z. Laffy, T. Oliver

C: M.  Nettlefold, M.  Gilmour, H.  Hayes

HF: H. Summers, J. Trewick, L. Price

F: B. Makepeace, D. Brewster, B. Schneider

R: N. Page, H. Grogan, N. Kellow

Int: T. Hughes, A. Cuthbert, T. Trewick, J. Milne

Mount Pleasant

B: M. Keuken, C. Black, J. Quirk

HB: D. Young, H. Steinfort, C. Moore

C: N.  Butler, C.  Trotman, T. McNamara

HF: N. Edwards, J. Hancock, B. Weightman

F: F. Cole, T. Griffin, T. Cravino

R: M. Bennett, T. Pontell, S. Spijkerman

Int: M. Whiting, C. Thiesz, J. Tuohey, R. McNamara

In: R. McNamara, S. Spijkerman

Out: K. Clifford, C. Smith

NORTH BENDIGO v. HUNTLY  

North Bendigo

B: B. Thomson, D. Morris, R. Alford

HB: A. Craig, J. Ford, L. Ford

C: S.  Giri, J.  Mills, B.  Robertson

HF: R. Threlfall, D. Richards, B. Ryan-Storey

F: T. Findlay, S. Christopher, B. Knight

R: T. Kelm, S. Morris, J. Findlay

Int: B. Oates, R. Gow, W. Gunter, T. Devereaux, C. Tardrew, A. Shipard

In: T. Kelm, W. Gunter, A. Shipard

Out: W. Brohm 

Huntly

B: J. Cordy, M. Jeffries, J. Harris

HB: S. Fiske, J. Dickerson, S. Kairn

C: P.  Ryan, R.  Semmel, J.  Cowling

HF: H. Whittle, L. Mann, S. Collis

F: J. Greenwood, C. Gleeson, B. Dickens

R: R. Sutton, D. Thomas, J. Daley

Int: R. Culvenor, L. Brook, J. Galea, J. Gladman

In: J. Gladman

Out: T. Davison

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