Two weeks ago Mitiamo and Maiden Gully YCW were the talk of the LVFNL.
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Everyone was jumping on the Superoos to win the flag, while the Eagles and reigning prmier Newbridge were seen as their biggest challengers.
Two weeks later the competition is far more wide open than what many expected.
A slick Pyramid Hill outfit put itself in the premiership conversation by making Mitiamo look second rate in their round two clash on Saturday.
Maiden Gully YCW slumped to an 0-2 start after suffering a shock loss to Bridgewater on Saturday
Marong joined Pyramid Hill as the only sides with a 2-0 record after two rounds when it outplayed Calivil United by six goals.
Bears-Lagoon Serpentine was forced to fight tooth and nail to hold off everyone's wooden spoon tip Inglewood by one point in a thriller.
Pyramid Hill's 18.11 (119) to 9.10 (64) win over Mitiamo wasn't a complete shock, but the way the Dogs dismantled the Superoos after quarter-time was a surprise.
The Dogs were too fast by foot, much cleaner with the ball and had multiple avenues to goal.
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Asked if the win was one of Pyramid Hill's better home and away victories in recent times, Pyramid Hill assistant coach Gavin James was honest in his response.
"If you read all your hype about Mitiamo and how good they are, yeah, but to be honest we've had better home and away wins than that,'' James said.
"The way you guys have pumped up Mitiamo... they weren't that impressive to me.
"If they're a $2 favourite to win the flag, and you've bet on them, you'd be disappointed with their efforts today."
What did impress James was the form of some of Pyramid Hill's young players.
Young forward Jack Woodward kicked four goals in a best on ground performance.
"Jack stood out today. He was very evasive and kicked some good goals under pressure,'' James said.
"Jake Willcocks is a young player we got to the club who has a basketball background. He's very athletic, takes a good mark and is a good back-up for Dutchy (Adrian Holland) in the ruck.
"Scott Mann is a bigger-bodied midfielder and that's what we lacked around the ball last year.
"He played for Bungaree last year and was runner-up in the best and fairest. The kid can play."
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The Bulldogs kicked 18 goals despite a third term knee injury to key forward Nathan Fitzpatrick.
Defender Dylan Morison did a fine job of restricting Mitiamo key forward Tyrone Downie, while Bailey George and James himself also had strong games.
Mitiamo had few four-quarter performers.
Midfielders Terry Reeves and Doug Thomas worked hard, while Brent Downie and Jarryd Wiegard battled hard against the odds.
The Bulldogs have the bye next weekend, while the Superoos won't find it any easier against Newbridge.
Bridgewater celebrated a gutsy six-point win over Maiden Gully YCW.
After copping an 84-point flogging from Pyramid Hill in round one, the young Mean Machine side bounced back strongly.
The more experienced Eagles threatened to run over the top of Bridgewater in the final term when they levelled the scores, but the home side dug deep.
Youngster James Naughton kicked a crucial goal to steady the ship before the Mean Machine added another to grab a two-buffer.
Maiden Gully kicked the final goal of the game, but the Mean Machine held on to win 13.17 (95) to 12.17 (89).
"The last 15 minutes both sides were out on their feet, so it was a real character-building win to kickstart our season,'' an elated Brigewater coach Dale Cameron said.
Joseph Mayes and Liam Jacques were superb for Bridgewater, while key defender Darren Clutton won the battle with Maiden Gully YCW coach Wayne Mitrovic.
Alex Pearson, Galen Munari and Dylan Pierce were best for the Eagles, while Luke Gray kicked a game-high four goals.
The Eagles now face the undefeated Marong on Good Friday under lights at Marist College.
A 0-3 start would make it mighty hard for the Eagles to finish top three.
There was nothing flashy about Marong's win over Calivil United, but it was another four points in the bank.
The Panthers were wayward in front of goal on their way to a 10.17 (77) to 5.11 (41) win in Zac Turnbull's 100th game for the club.
"Internally, we've always felt that we're not as far away as most thought,'' Marong co-coach Taylor Beard said.
"We're really excited now to get the chance to test ourselves against Maiden Gully YCW who, despite the loss today, are a quality side."
Recruit Adam Ward showed his class through the midfield for Marong, while Kyle Manley set the tone with three early goals and could have finished with a bag of six or seven goals had he kicked straight.
Calivil United coach Andrew Freemantle was disappointed with the result as the Demons slipped to 0-2.
"Marong were much cleaner with the ball,'' Freemantle said.
"They play good team footy and they're a pretty good side."
A relieved Bears Lagoon-Serpentine walked away with the points in their game of the season.
The Bears just did enough to defeat Inglewood 7.15 (57) to 8.8 (56).
"We started well, but in the middle part of the game we let them back in and it became a struggle for the rest of the day,'' Bears' coach Greg Gadsden said.
"We kicked poorly, but that's not an excuse. To Inglewood's credit, they chipped the ball around and kept possession and made us work hard.
"Luckily, we fell across the line at the end."
Half-back Josh Walsh, recruit Matt Gibbs and the Gadsden boys - Charlie and Harry - were best for the Bears.
Inglewood, who stretched the Bears with their height, were best served by Sam Williams, Josh Essex and Sani Egan.
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