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1st – LEITCHVILLE-GUNBOWER
Record – 17-2, 198.0%
Avg. for/against – 121/61
Attack: 2nd Defence: 1st
Quarters won: 56 of 76
Players used: 35
Avg. player points: 38.6
Comparison to last year:
-1 win, -25 points per game
(attack: -16 points per game, defence: -9 points)
Club best top five:
Jack Gleeson - 51
Daniel Coates - 47
Matthew Ladson - 42
Tim Lincoln - 36
Brady Hore - 25
Based on weekly best players: 6 points for best, 5 for second best and so on.
Top goalkickers:
Matt Perri - 78
Jake Vandongen - 58
Daniel Coates - 48
Tim Lincoln - 28
Jack Gleeson - 20
The Bombers maintained their status as the HDFNL’s premier team, successfully backing up their 2017 triumph with another grand final win over North Bendigo.
Only losses for the year were a 24-point defeat to Colbinabbin in round four and 73-point hiding from North Bendigo in round 10.
Again had the competition’s leading goalkicker in Matt Perri (78), while down the other end their average score against of 61 was the lowest in the competition.
Also won the under-17 premiership for the third year in a row in what is a strong sign for the future of the club, which has a new senior coach in Danny Teskera, who has taken over the role from Michael Pilcher.
2nd – NORTH BENDIGO
Record – 15-4, 216.0%
Avg. for/against – 134/62
Attack: 1st Defence: 2nd
Quarters won: 60 of 76
Players used: 35
Avg. player points: 36.4
Comparison to last year:
-1 win, -15 points
(attack: -7, defence: -8)
Club best top five:
Jarrod Findlay - 41
Jeremy Mills - 40
Sean Morris - 39
Troy Kelm - 38
Darcy Richards - 38
Top goalkickers:
Tyson Findlay - 51
Sean Morris - 46
Darcy Richards - 43
Sean Christopher - 38
Jeremy Mills - 35
After a shaky 1-2 start finished on top of the ladder, but were unable to convert the minor premiership into the flag after going down to Leitchville-Gunbower by nine points in the grand final.
The Bulldogs will rue over the pre-season grind a poor 20-minute patch in the second quarter of the grand final where they allowed the Bombers to kick seven unanswered goals and establish what ultimately proved to be a premiership-winning lead.
Despite losing their three key forwards of 2017, the Bulldogs remained the highest scoring team this year averaging 134 points per game on the back of a spread in which seven players kicked at least 25 goals.
Matt Dillon will continue as Bulldogs’ coach in 2019.
3rd – COLBINABBIN
Record – 12-7, 139.0%
Avg. for/against – 95/68
Attack: 4th Defence: 3rd
Quarters won: 48 of 76
Players used: 34
Avg. player points: 41.6
Comparison to last year:
+1 win, +7 points
(attack: +6, defence: +1)
Club best top five:
Mitch Bright - 68
David Price - 32
Damien Carmody - 31
Hadleigh Sirett - 29
Daniel Hill - 22
Top goalkickers:
Ryan Hon - 41
Elliot Bowen - 40
Nick Knight - 20
Michael Battista - 20
Hugh Hamilton - 16
Led North Bendigo at three quarter-time of the preliminary final, but couldn’t go the distance and was beaten by 39 points.
The Grasshoppers were one of only two teams to beat premier Leitchville-Gunbower as part of their 8-2 record in their first 10 games, before they went 2-4 in their last six home and away matches.
Won two knockout finals against Lockington-Bamawm United and Huntly before falling to the Bulldogs in the preliminary final, advancing one step further than a year earlier.
After three seasons in charge Nick Knight has stood down as coach, with dual Wycheproof-Narraport premiership coach Julian Bull returning to his former club to take the helm.
4th – HUNTLY
Record – 12-6, 129.1%
Avg. for/against – 103/80
Attack: 3rd Defence: 5th
Quarters won: 42 of 72
Players used: 37
Avg. player points: 38.3
Comparison to last year:
Same wins, -11 points
(attack: -11, defence: 0)
Club best top five:
Ryan Semmel - 52
Jack Daley - 33
Harry Whittle - 27
Stacy Fiske - 26
Doug Thomas - 23
Top goalkickers:
Chris Gleeson - 47
Harry Whittle - 38
Luke Mann - 31
Rhett Sutton - 21
Ryan Semmel - 20
Season promised plenty for the Hawks when they reached the halfway mark 7-1 and in top spot on the ladder.
Held on to the double chance, but were unable to capitalise and in a bitterly disappointing finish bowed out of the finals in straight sets with two losses by a combined 168 points.
Beat every side in the competition expect for premier Leitchville-Gunbower, while one of the big pluses for the year was five under-17s playing senior footy.
Star midfielder Ryan Semmel won a record third Cheatley Medal, but he won’t be back with the Hawks next year. Denis Grinton will continue as coach next season.
5th – LBU
Record – 10-7, 120.9%
Avg. for/against – 90/75
Attack: 5th Defence: 4th
Quarters won: 37 of 68
Players used: 40
Avg. player points: 33.1
Comparison to last year:
+6 wins, +62 points
(attack: +24, defence: +38)
Club best top five:
Tyler Phillips - 43
Liam Main - 40
Bart Phillips - 32
Fraser Monahan - 30
Thomas Leech - 29
Top goalkickers:
Jarod Bacon - 49
Lachlan Collins - 44
Thomas Leech - 17
Zeik Johnston - 16
Tyler Phillips - 14
Were touted pre-season as the likely big improvers of the competition and lived up to that billing as they improved by six wins and 10 goals per game to qualify for their first finals series since 2014.
The Cats were beaten by 13 points in the elimination final by Colbinabbin, but that experience for many young players in their first senior final will hold the side in good stead going forward.
One of those young players was Ricky Walsh, who was the league’s Rising Star.
With the bulk of the playing group having already re-committed before the season ended the Cats under coach Kahl Oliver are once again shaping as a team to watch in 2019.
6th – MOUNT PLEASANT
Record – 5-11, 65.5%
Avg. for/against – 72/110
Attack: 6th Defence: 7th
Quarters won: 21 of 64
Players used: 42
Avg. player points: 44.8
Comparison to last year:
+3 wins, +44 points
(attack: +23, defence: +21)
Club best top five:
Dale Young - 37
Mitch Bennett - 33
Ben Weightman - 33
Chris Black - 29
Nicholas Butler - 25
Top goalkickers:
Ben Weightman - 60
Hugo Steinfort - 17
Charles Trotman - 10
Seb Spijkerman - 9
Fraser Cole - 8
Were one of the most active clubs on the recruiting front during the off-season and that was reflected in the Blues being the highest-pointed team in the competition with an average of 44.8 per game.
The Blues were coming from a low base of the wooden spoon and just two wins the previous year, but took a step back in the right direction with five victories and a sixth-placed finish in 2018.
A frustrating trend was dropping away in games after half-time, while the club used the most players in the competition with 42.
Star forward recruit Ben Weightman kicked more than a third of the Blues’ goals with his tally of 60.
Darren Walsh is leading the Blues again next year.
7th – WHITE HILLS
Record – 3-13, 68.0%
Avg. for/against – 69/101
Attack: 7th Defence: 6th
Quarters won: 22 of 64
Players used: 35
Avg. player points: 37.3
Comparison to last year:
-4 wins, -20 points
(attack: -16, defence: -4)
Club best top five:
Jake Allport - 51
Ryley Dickens - 39
Kris Bedford - 38
Rhys Irwin - 29
James Avery - 25
Top goalkickers:
Kris Bedford - 32
Jordan Waldron - 30
Jake Allport - 14
Jasper Ibbeson-Coatsworth - 10
Gavin Bowles - 8
This was a year of rebuilding and focus on youth after a heavy turnover of players during the off-season.
In what always shaped as a tough year on-field, managed three wins and lost a pair of tight games to Mount Pleasant both by seven points.
The priority now after investing a year of development into the club’s youngsters is to ensure it isn’t wasted by holding the bulk of the group together under whoever the new coach will be that is taking over from Brent Millar.
8th – HEATHCOTE
Record – 3-13, 44.6%
Avg. for/against – 54/120
Attack: 8th Defence: 8th
Quarters won: 14 of 64
Players used: 35
Avg. player points: 33.3
Comparison to last year:
-1 wins, -4 points
(attack: -7, defence: +3)
Club best top five:
Darcy McLean - 47
Jake Condon - 41
Thomas Pain - 41
Dillon Hardy - 31
Daniel Russell - 22
Top goalkickers:
Louis Piccolo - 16
Jake Condon - 14
Bradley Morgan - 12
Darcy McLean - 8
Alex McIvor - 8
Another tough year for the Saints, who missed the finals for the fifth season in a row, with their problems starting before round one when they lost recruits Daniel Anderson and Blake Coyle to pre-season knee injuries.
Endured six games where they kicked five goals or less and were the only team to lose to Elmore, but one of the positives outgoing coach Luke Bell took from 2018 is “we debuted seven players, which we wouldn’t have done for five years.”
Have lured 2016 Sandhurst premiership coach Wayne Primmer to take the reins.
9th – ELMORE
Record – 1-15, 34.6%
Avg. for/against – 50/144
Attack: 9th Defence: 9th
Quarters won: 8 of 64
Players used: 38
Avg. player points: 33.9
Comparison to last year:
-2 wins, -29 points
(attack: -19, defence: -10)
Club best top five:
Ben Makepeace - 50
Matt Gilmour - 42
Nicholas Kellow - 39
Tyler Oliver - 24
Angus Munro - 25
Top goalkickers:
James Harney - 35
Ben Makepeace - 19
Danny Brewster - 17
Nicholas Kellow - 9
Blake Schneider - 7
The Bloods looked like they could be destined to end the season winless before a round 18 triumph over Heathcote to finish the year on a high.
Tough season with plenty of heavy losses along the way – seven by more than 100 points – with returning coach Danny Brewster keen to add some experience to help build for an improved 2019.
Underneath there was a promising result for the club with the under-17s reaching the preliminary final.
Round 1
Colbinabbin 22 16 148 def Elmore 8 3 51
LBU 20 11 131 def Mount Pleasant 9 4 58
Huntly 17 15 117 def White Hills 9 9 63
Leitchville-Gunbower 8 21 69 def North Bendigo 6 8 44
Heathcote bye
Round 2
North Bendigo 25 16 166 def Mount Pleasant 4 5 29
Leitchville-Gunbower 24 11 155 def Elmore 6 9 45
Colbinabbin 14 6 90 def Heathcote 2 5 17
Huntly 10 12 72 def LBU 3 8 26
White Hills bye
Round 3
Leitchville-Gunbower 28 17 185 def Heathcote 1 3 9
LBU 14 23 107 def White Hills 6 8 44
Huntly 16 9 105 def North Bendigo 13 10 88
Mount Pleasant 9 16 70 def Elmore 8 7 55
Colbinabbin bye
Round 4
Huntly 18 28 136 def Elmore 4 4 28
North Bendigo 21 17 143 def White Hills 13 10 88
Colbinabbin 14 13 97 def Leitchville-Gunbower 10 13 73
Mount Pleasant 14 14 98 def Heathcote 11 10 76
LBU bye
Round 5
Huntly 20 20 140 def Heathcote 5 7 37
North Bendigo 17 12 114 def LBU 11 12 78
White Hills 14 12 96 def Elmore 10 4 64
Colbinabbin 12 15 87 def Mount Pleasant 10 14 74
Leitchville-Gunbower bye
Round 6
Leitchville-Gunbower 19 18 132 def Mount Pleasant 9 5 59
LBU 17 21 123 def Elmore 10 12 72
Heathcote 14 20 104 def White Hills 9 7 61
Huntly 13 13 91 def Colbinabbin 9 13 67
North Bendigo bye
Round 7
North Bendigo 34 25 229 def Elmore 6 1 37
LBU 14 21 105 def Heathcote 6 3 39
Colbinabbin 11 15 81 def White Hills 7 4 46
Leitchville-Gunbower 19 12 126 def Huntly 15 4 94
Mount Pleasant bye
Round 8
Leitchville-Gunbower 21 12 138 def White Hills 6 3 39
North Bendigo 17 19 121 def Heathcote 3 5 23
Huntly 27 9 171 def Mount Pleasant 12 15 87
Colbinabbin 14 16 100 def LBU 9 8 62
Elmore bye
Round 9
Leitchville-Gunbower 17 9 111 def LBU 6 7 43
North Bendigo 14 13 97 def Colbinabbin 10 6 66
Heathcote 12 25 97 def Elmore 11 9 75
Mount Pleasant 13 5 83 def White Hills 11 10 76
Huntly bye
Round 10
Colbinabbin 20 27 147 def Elmore 4 2 26
North Bendigo 22 11 143 def Leitchville-Gunbower 11 4 70
Huntly 17 12 114 def White Hills 8 10 58
LBU 12 11 83 def Mount Pleasant 8 3 51
Heathcote bye
Round 11
Leitchville-Gunbower 29 18 192 def Elmore 2 4 16
Colbinabbin 24 14 158 def Heathcote 6 9 45
North Bendigo 27 15 177 def Mount Pleasant 9 15 69
LBU 15 12 102 def Huntly 10 13 73
White Hills bye
Round 12
Mount Pleasant 21 22 148 def Elmore 8 2 50
Leitchville-Gunbower 19 12 126 def Heathcote 7 10 52
LBU 12 14 86 def White Hills 3 6 24
North Bendigo 15 6 96 def Huntly 8 14 62
Colbinabbin bye
Round 13
Huntly 19 18 132 def Elmore 5 10 40
North Bendigo 24 19 163 def White Hills 10 11 71
Heathcote 13 13 91 def Mount Pleasant 9 6 60
Leitchville-Gunbower 9 7 61 def Colbinabbin 4 8 32
LBU bye
Round 14
White Hills 18 18 126 def Elmore 8 7 55
North Bendigo 18 14 122 def LBU 8 10 58
Colbinabbin 19 10 124 def Mount Pleasant 9 9 63
Huntly 18 15 123 def Heathcote 10 8 68
Leitchville-Gunbower bye
Round 15
LBU 26 11 167 def Elmore 7 6 48
Leitchville-Gunbower 23 7 145 def Mount Pleasant 9 11 65
White Hills 21 10 136 def Heathcote 9 13 67
Huntly 15 11 101 def Colbinabbin 9 19 73
North Bendigo bye
Round 16
North Bendigo 39 29 263 def Elmore 4 6 30
LBU 20 21 141 def Heathcote 5 7 37
Colbinabbin 20 11 131 def White Hills 6 8 44
Leitchville-Gunbower 18 14 122 def Huntly 10 10 70
Mount Pleasant bye
Round 17
North Bendigo 28 25 193 def Heathcote 2 3 15
Huntly 18 18 126 def Mount Pleasant 9 7 61
Leitchville-Gunbower 11 18 84 def White Hills 7 13 55
LBU 11 13 79 def Colbinabbin 11 11 77
Elmore bye
Round 18
Leitchville-Gunbower 19 12 126 def LBU 8 8 56
North Bendigo 14 24 108 def Colbinabbin 7 10 52
Elmore 17 5 107 def Heathcote 11 14 80
Mount Pleasant 12 11 83 def White Hills 11 10 76
Huntly bye
Finals
Elimination final Colbinabbin 14 18 102 def LBU 13 11 89
Qualifying final Leitchville-Gunbower 30 32 212 def Huntly 13 5 83
1st semi-final Colbinabbin 10 21 81 def Huntly 5 12 42
2nd semi-final Leitchville-Gunbower 10 18 78 def North Bendigo 11 8 74
Preliminary final North Bendigo 18 19 127 def Colbinabbin 13 10 88
Grand final Leitchville-Gunbower 14 10 94 def North Bendigo 12 13 85
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