READ MORE – Heathcote District league 2018 season review
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1st – NEWBRIDGE
Record – 16-2, 163.4%
Avg. for/against – 102/63
Attack: 1st Defence: 1st
Quarters won: 47 of 72
Players used: 37
Avg. player points: 41.6
Comparison to last year:
+4 wins, +33 points per game
(attack: +24 points per game, defence: +9)
Club best top five:
Tommy Horne - 54
Nathan Bacon - 47
Tyler Romeril - 42
Jack Fowler - 31
Jordan Gilboy - 26
Based on weekly best players: 6 points for best, 5 for second best and so on.
Top goalkickers:
Jordan Gilboy - 74
Sam Mildren - 28
Rhys Ford - 23
Sam Kennedy - 21
Zach Heaslip - 15
Started the season as raging hot flag favourites – Sportsbet opened Newbridge at $2 in its market – and the Maroons duly delivered on their status by snapping an 18-year premiership drought.
Were 6-2 after eight games, before winning their last 10 matches, culminating in a 44-point grand final victory over Mitiamo.
The Maroons (102) were the only team in the competition to average at least 100 points a game and were also the No.1 ranked defensive side, with the backline earning regular praise throughout the season from coach Brad Comer.
A foot fracture restricted captain and gun onballer Jordan Gilboy to a role inside 50 and he adapted superbly, finishing as the competition’s leading goalkicker with 74.
2nd – MITIAMO
Record – 12-8, 121.2%
Avg. for/against – 83/69
Attack: 3rd Defence: 2nd
Quarters won: 43 of 80
Players used: 36
Avg. player points: 41.8
Comparison to last year:
+2 wins, -6 points
(attack: -1, defence: -5)
Club best top five:
Luke Lougoon - 47
Terry Reeves - 42
James Rozynski - 41
Michael I'Anson - 32
Max Simpson - 32
Top goalkickers:
Ryan Wellington - 37
Dylan Clohesy - 20
Michael I'Anson - 18
Tom Grant - 17
Luke Scott - 15
After a 2-4 start spent the majority of the season fighting for its berth in the finals, before ultimately finishing fifth on the ladder.
The Superoos then produced a gallant finals run in which they won cut-throat matches against Bears Lagoon-Serpentine, Pyramid Hill and Maiden Gully YCW to become the first team in league history to make the grand final from fifth.
Came up short in the big dance, going down to Newbridge in what was the club’s third grand final defeat in the past four years.
The Superoos kicked 4.9 in their grand final defeat – one of 14 games throughout the season where they scored more behinds than goals, while they endured five losses where they had either equal to or more scoring shots than their opposition.
3rd – MAIDEN GULLY YCW
Record – 13-6, 115.8%
Avg. for/against – 93/80
Attack: 2nd Defence: 6th
Quarters won: 42 of 76
Players used: 33
Avg. player points: 40.3
Comparison to last year:
+10 wins, +57 points
(attack: +32, defence: +25)
Club best top five:
Nick Waterson - 56
Natnael McLaren - 46
Sean Moyle - 35
Brayden Aitken - 30
Ryan Walker - 29
Top goalkickers:
Cohen Kekich - 42
Wayne Mitrovic - 41
Luke Gray - 37
Natnael McLaren - 20
Luke Ross - 15
The stunning rise of the Eagles was one of the key storylines of the 2018 season.
Before this year the Eagles hadn’t played finals since 2011 and in the previous six seasons had produced records of 4-12, 3-13, 5-11, 3-12-1, 5-11 and 3-13.
But under new coach Wayne Mitrovic they made a dramatic improvement, ending the home and away season second on the ladder, before bowing out in the preliminary final.
The Eagles won 10 more matches than last year and improved their attack by 32 points a game and defence by 25 points.
It was a massive step forward for the Eagles, who are now well placed to be one of the highly-fancied teams in 2019 given what they showed in their 2018 re-birth.
4th – PYRAMID HILL
Record – 10-8, 95.0%
Avg. for/against – 72/76
Attack: 7th Defence: 4th
Quarters won: 38 of 72
Players used: 37
Avg. player points: 40.9
Comparison to last year:
+2 wins, -23 points
(attack: -22, defence: -1)
Club best top five:
Billy Micevski - 48
Matt Klein-Breteler - 46
Steven Gunther - 42
Gavin James - 39
Adrian Holland - 38
Top goalkickers:
Nathan Fitzpatrick - 38
Mitch Cheesman - 32
Steven Gunther - 13
Billy Micevski - 12
Jack Woodward - 12
Up-and-down season for the Bulldogs, who burst out of the blocks by winning their first six games – four of them by single-figure margins.
Then lost their next four games to slip from top spot to fourth before regrouping to finish third and earn the double chance with a 10-6 record – albeit with a percentage of less than 100 (97.1).
Were knocked out of the finals in straight sets, which included an agonising one-point defeat to Mitiamo in the first semi-final, but in what was a season where they had a strong focus on youth, playing two finals should prove to be a valuable experience moving forward.
The Bulldogs won both the reserves and under-18 flags.
5th – BEARS LAGOON-SERPENTINE
Record – 9-8, 119.9%
Avg. for/against – 93/78
Attack: 4th Defence: 5th
Quarters won: 39 of 68
Players used: 32
Avg. player points: 36.4
Comparison to last year:
Same wins, +6 points
(attack: +7, defence: -1)
Club best top five:
Justin Laird - 37
Nathan McNally - 30
Nathan Twigg - 28
Charlie Gadsden - 26
Shaun Bowles - 25
Top goalkickers:
Cody Gunn - 49
James Rippingale - 30
Andrew Gladman - 29
Justin Laird - 19
Ben McKinley - 19
Were chasing their tail for much of the season after they were 0-4 and last on the ladder after four rounds.
Won nine of their next 12 games to not only qualify for the finals, but hit them in good form, only to produce their worst performance of the season in the elimination final when belted by Mitiamo by 79 points.
That’s two years in a row the Bears have bowed out to the Superoos in the elimination final.
6th – CALIVIL UNITED
Record – 7-9, 113.6%
Avg. for/against – 81/71
Attack: 6th Defence: 3rd
Quarters won: 35 of 64
Players used: 36
Avg. player points: 38.8
Comparison to last year:
-10 wins, -38 points
(attack: -28, defence: -10)
Club best top five:
Chris Down - 56
Alex Davis - 43
Sam Brinsmead - 41
Chris Sanders - 28
Vincent Rodi - 25
Top goalkickers:
Daniel Reid - 28
Vincent Rodi - 24
Chris Sanders - 21
Matt Magee - 20
Anthony Dennis - 18
From 2017 premiers to missing the 2018 finals, it was a steep slide for Calivil United, which unusually had none of its three football teams finish in the top five.
For the senior team, it was very much a case of what-if given of the nine games the Demons lost, six were by 15 points or less, and three by under a goal.
Lost their last five games having one stage been 7-4 and in third position after round 12, with the Demons becoming the first reigning premier since YCW in 2003 to miss the finals.
Captain and gun ruckman Chris Down won the Harding Medal, but he’s now on his way to Sandhurst.
7th – BRIDGEWATER
Record – 7-9, 104.5%
Avg. for/against – 87/83
Attack: 5th Defence: 7th
Quarters won: 32 of 64
Players used: 42
Avg. player points: 35.1
Comparison to last year:
-6 wins, -17 points
(attack: -4, defence: -13)
Club best top five:
Joseph Mayes - 37
Peter Rothacker - 34
Liam Jacques - 33
Daniel Nalder - 23
Tristin Nalder - 21
Top goalkickers:
Darren Clutton - 45
Josh Metherell - 24
Alex Powell - 22
Tom Broadbent - 14
Liam Jacques - 12
From eight grand finals in a row to missing the finals all together – that was the tale of Bridgewater in 2018.
For so long the hunted and the benchmark, the Mean Machine slipped right back to the pack with largely a new-look team that won seven games – Bridgewater’s lowest return since it previously missed the finals in 2006.
Used the most players in the competition with 42, while they were 1-9 in their matches against the five finalists.
The Mean Machine secured one of the competition’s big-name recruits in star midfielder Shaun Everington, but injury restricted him to just five games.
8th – MARONG
Record – 3-13, 63.7%
Avg. for/against – 69/108
Attack: 8th Defence: 8th
Quarters won: 17 of 64
Players used: 38
Avg. player points: 37.4
Comparison to last year:
-2 wins, -11 points
(attack: 0, defence: -11)
Club best top five:
Bryce Franzini - 41
Zach Turnbull - 38
Jarrod Fitzpatrick - 36
Sam Harvey - 31
Josh Griffin - 24
Top goalkickers:
Jarrod Fitzpatrick - 23
Zach Turnbull - 16
Sam Harvey - 15
Bryce Franzini - 15
Tim Rhook - 14
The Panthers were unable to build any momentum in their season, which started with four losses in a row, putting them behind the eight-ball from the outset.
Ended the year 3-13 in their poorest season since 2011, but did manage to claim the scalp of finalist Bears Lagoon-Serpentine in round five.
The Panthers had a tendency to be slow out of the blocks as they were the worst first-quarter side in the competition, therefore spending the bulk of the season playing catch-up footy.
9th – INGLEWOOD
Record – 1-15, 47.2%
Avg. for/against – 58/122
Attack: 9th Defence: 9th
Quarters won: 12 of 64
Players used: 40
Avg. player points: 41.2
Comparison to last year:
Same wins, +5 points
(attack: +3, defence: +2)
Club best top five:
Bailey Evans - 57
Peter McKay - 37
Sani Egan - 32
Shane Harris - 29
Tate Mifka - 22
Top goalkickers:
Samuel Barnes - 23
Daniel Lloyd - 19
Shane Harris - 12
Ryan McNish - 10
Peter McKay - 9
For the Blues 2018 was a case of another season, yet another wooden spoon.
The Blues finished last for the seventh time in the past eight years, with their only victory one of the most notable results of the season – a five-point win over Calivil United in round three that snapped a 31-game losing streak against the Demons.
A positive was they narrowly improved their average scores for and against from a year earlier, while Bailey Evans won the Rising Star.
Round 1
Maiden Gully YCW 12 13 85 def BL-Serpentine 7 8 50
Mitiamo 11 14 80 def Bridgewater 7 13 55
Calivil United 13 7 85 def Marong 11 9 75
Pyramid Hill 8 1 49 def Newbridge 4 16 40
Inglewood bye
Round 2
Bridgewater 30 17 197 def Inglewood 6 6 42
Maiden Gully YCW 12 13 85 def Marong 10 8 68
Mitiamo 9 6 60 def Calivil United 8 11 59
Pyramid Hill 12 9 81 def BL-Serpentine 12 8 80
Newbridge bye
Round 3
Maiden Gully YCW 13 6 84 def Mitiamo 8 13 61
Newbridge 13 18 96 def BL-Serpentine 11 12 78
Pyramid Hill 12 12 84 def Marong 11 9 75
Inglewood 14 14 98 def Calivil United 14 9 93
Bridgewater bye
Round 4
Maiden Gully YCW 21 21 147 def Inglewood 9 5 59
Bridgewater 13 8 86 def Calivil United 8 7 55
Newbridge 17 7 109 def Marong 13 6 84
Pyramid Hill 11 7 73 def Mitiamo 8 7 55
BL-Serpentine bye
Round 5
Pyramid Hill 10 17 77 def Inglewood 3 6 24
Newbridge 13 4 82 def Mitiamo 5 12 42
Maiden Gully YCW 13 19 97 def Bridgewater 12 4 76
Marong 14 10 94 def BL-Serpentine 10 16 76
Calivil United bye
Round 6
Newbridge 27 17 179 def Inglewood 7 6 48
Calivil United 17 9 111 def Maiden Gully YCW 7 13 55
BL-Serpentine 11 9 75 def Mitiamo 9 15 69
Pyramid Hill 10 10 70 def Bridgewater 10 7 67
Marong bye
Round 7
BL-Serpentine 24 18 162 def Inglewood 5 4 34
Mitiamo 18 19 127 def Marong 9 7 61
Calivil United 13 14 92 def Pyramid Hill 8 9 57
Newbridge 16 14 110 def Bridgewater 13 10 88
Maiden Gully YCW bye
Round 8
BL-Serpentine 23 14 152 def Bridgewater 10 8 68
Maiden Gully YCW 20 9 129 def Pyramid Hill 12 12 84
Marong 14 13 97 def Inglewood 11 12 78
Newbridge 13 10 88 def Calivil United 11 7 73
Mitiamo bye
Round 9
Bridgewater 20 12 132 def Marong 11 9 75
Mitiamo 14 20 104 def Inglewood 11 6 72
Calivil United 14 9 93 def BL-Serpentine 11 10 76
Maiden Gully YCW 14 11 95 def Newbridge 11 17 83
Pyramid Hill bye
Round 10
Calivil United 23 10 148 def Marong 5 8 38
Newbridge 14 10 94 def Pyramid Hill 7 10 52
BL-Serpentine 13 14 92 def Maiden Gully YCW 10 8 68
Mitiamo 11 18 84 def Bridgewater 9 8 62
Inglewood bye
Round 11
Maiden Gully YCW 24 18 162 def Marong 6 7 43
BL-Serpentine 17 16 118 def Pyramid Hill 8 7 55
Calivil United 15 4 94 def Mitiamo 9 11 65
Bridgewater 14 17 101 def Inglewood 11 10 76
Newbridge bye
Round 12
Calivil United 14 15 99 def Inglewood 6 4 40
Pyramid Hill 11 14 80 def Marong 3 8 26
Mitiamo 12 10 82 def Maiden Gully YCW 7 9 51
Newbridge 13 11 89 def BL-Serpentine 11 9 75
Bridgewater bye
Round 13
Newbridge 19 15 129 def Marong 10 8 68
Maiden Gully YCW 18 18 126 def Inglewood 11 4 70
Pyramid Hill 13 5 83 def Mitiamo 10 11 71
Bridgewater 11 13 79 def Calivil United 10 10 70
BL-Serpentine bye
Round 14
Pyramid Hill 19 9 123 def Inglewood 6 7 43
BL-Serpentine 21 12 138 def Marong 14 6 90
Maiden Gully YCW 13 20 98 def Bridgewater 13 9 87
Newbridge 14 10 94 def Mitiamo 13 8 86
Calivil United bye
Round 15
Newbridge 16 23 119 def Inglewood 7 5 47
Bridgewater 18 4 112 def Pyramid Hill 8 20 68
Maiden Gully YCW 12 16 88 def Calivil United 7 14 56
Mitiamo 11 14 80 def BL-Serpentine 8 8 56
Marong bye
Round 16
Mitiamo 22 16 148 def Marong 8 8 56
BL-Serpentine 21 15 141 def Inglewood 11 10 76
Newbridge 13 10 88 def Bridgewater 7 8 50
Pyramid Hill 9 9 63 def Calivil United 9 8 62
Maiden Gully YCW bye
Round 17
Newbridge 13 11 89 def Calivil United 4 10 34
Maiden Gully YCW 13 11 89 def Pyramid Hill 6 8 44
BL-Serpentine 14 15 99 def Bridgewater 8 11 59
Marong 12 9 81 def Inglewood 11 5 71
Mitiamo bye
Round 18
Newbridge 21 14 140 def Maiden Gully YCW 5 11 41
Mitiamo 15 17 107 def Inglewood 6 9 45
BL-Serpentine 12 11 83 def Calivil United 10 11 71
Bridgewater 11 11 77 def Marong 10 11 71
Pyramid Hill bye
Finals
Elimination final Mitiamo 17 15 117 def BL-Serpentine 6 2 38
Qualifying final Maiden Gully YCW 16 12 108 def Pyramid Hill 10 15 75
1st semi-final Mitiamo 10 17 77 def Pyramid Hill 11 10 76
2nd semi-final Newbridge 20 12 132 def Maiden Gully YCW 13 4 82
Preliminary final Mitiamo 16 20 116 def Maiden Gully YCW 12 8 80
Grand final Newbridge 11 11 77 def Mitiamo 4 9 33
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