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PYRAMID Hill coach Adrian McErvale admits the Bulldogs may have caught Mitiamo off guard in round two, but knows the same won't be allowed to happen again on Saturday when the Loddon Valley league's two top teams lock horns.

While there's still eight rounds remaining in the season, the Bulldogs and Superoos, who meet at Pyramid Hill, are the two leading flag contenders.

The Bulldogs are undefeated with a 9-0 record, while the Superoos are 8-1 - their only blemish being a hefty 55-point hiding from Pyramid Hill.

"Early on in the year we may have caught Miti off guard a bit. We had a lot of new players come into our team that the league probably wasn't aware of, so I suppose there was that bit of a wildcard factor," McErvale said on Friday.

"This time though they obviously have a bit more knowledge of our side and the way we play, so I know they will come out really fired up and ready to go."

The Bulldogs are coming off a 92-point win over Bridgewater last week in a game where two of their new players - Braidy Dickens (nine) and Bailey George (six) - combined for 15 goals.

Pyramid Hill (116) and Mitiamo (101) are the only teams in the competition to be averaging more than 82 points per game, although, the Superoos will be minus one of their key targets with Tyrone Downie suffering a broken jaw in last week's three-point victory over Maiden Gully YCW.

Pyramid Hill has two forced omissions after Michael Bateman (two matches) and Bradley Driscoll (one match) were both suspended by the tribunal this week on striking reports.

Coming into the side for the Bulldogs - whose 9-0 record is their best start to a season since joining the LVFNL in 1995 - is Dylan Tonkin and Bailey Goodwin.

Highlighting the depth at the club this year, not only is Pyramid Hill undefeated in the seniors, but also in the reserves, while its two-time defending premier under-18s have just one loss.

"It's a good feeling up at Pyramid Hill at the moment. The community is really behind the club and there's a lot of great families that are involved, so it's good to see the club going well," said McErvale, who is in his first season as coach of the flag-starved Bulldogs.

* Saturday's other round 11 games - Calivil United v Marong, Maiden Gully YCW Eagles v Bridgewater, Inglewood v BL-Serpentine. Newbridge bye.

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MOUNT Pleasant will get another opportunity to gauge its development when it hosts long-time nemesis, Leitchville-Gunbower, at Toolleen on Saturday.

The Blues certainly aren't on their own in being on the end of plenty of big hidings from the two-time defending premier Bombers in recent years, but this time there is a genuine winning expectation such is Mount Pleasant's improvement.

Mount Pleasant has lost its past 10 games against the Bombers by an average of 77 points.

Included in that run of 10 losses in a row was a 14-point defeat in round one - one of just two games Mount Pleasant dropped in the first half of the season.

The Blues were forced to play catch-up footy that day after the fast-starting Bombers skipped out to a 28-point lead at quarter-time.

"We've got to make sure we start much better this time," Blues coach Darren Walsh said on Friday.

"You can't afford to give a side like Leitchville a five-goal headstart, which we did that day.

"With six or seven new players in the team it can take a bit of time to gel, but that had nothing to do with our effort at the start of the game that day."

Mount Pleasant - which hasn't played finals since 2014 - has reached the halfway mark of the season in fourth position at 6-2.

The Blues have a two-game break on the fifth-placed Bombers, who after making a 1-3 start to the season are running into some ominous form, with their ledger back to 4-4.

Among the inclusions for the Blues on Saturday is experienced defender Dale Young, which is timely given the Bombers still possess a dangerous front half in forward targets Jack Dye (23 goals), Tyler Jones (16), Jake Vandongen (15) and Daniel Coates (14).

Down the other end, Mount Pleasant's Ben Weightman begins the second half of the season as the competition's leading goalkicker with 47.

* Saturday's other round 10 games - Colbinabbin v Elmore, Heathcote v LBU, Huntly v North Bendigo. White Hills bye.

CHARLTON gets its second crack this season at halting the Sea Lake Nandaly juggernaut when it travels to take on the Tigers.

The Tigers have an 8-0 record, with the Navies the side to have got the closest to them when beaten by 24 points in round two.

All seven of the Tigers' other wins have been by at least 46 points.

* Saturday's games:

Boort v Wedderburn

Last time - Wedderburn 26.32 (188) d Boort 0.6 (6).

Donald v St Arnaud

Last time - Donald 12.11 (83) d St Arnaud 12.7 (79).

Birchip-Watchem v Wycheproof-Narraport

Last time - Birchip-Watchem 13.16 (94) d Wycheproof-Narraport 4.3 (27).

Sea Lake Nandaly Tigers v Charlton

Last time - Sea Lake Nandaly 13.13 (91) d Charlton 9.13 (67).

THE Bendigo Pioneers travel to Ballarat on Saturday aiming to end a six-game losing streak when they meet the Geelong Falcons.

Bendigo's side for the clash includes Cobi Maxted, who last game against the Western Jets created a piece of club history when he became the first father-son to play for the Pioneers as he followed in the footsteps of his dad, Wayne.

The Pioneers (2-6) - who comfortably beat Geelong by 43 points in round one - are coming off an extended break, having had both a club bye and general bye over the past fortnight.

Saturday will be the first of two Futures Rounds in the NAB League where teams have to play at least 11 bottom-age players.

Saturday's game at Ballarat's MARS Stadium starts at 2pm.

Meanwhile, Pioneers' duo Brooke Hards and Kate Douglass will be lining up for the Victoria Country team that takes on Vic Metro at Werribee's Avalon Oval on Saturday in the first round of the AFL Women's Under-18 Championships from 2pm.

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