BENDIGO ADDY LODDON VALLEY HQ

PYRAMID Hill has set up an opportunity to win not only its first senior premiership since 1950, but all three Loddon Valley league football flags.

The Bulldogs kept alive their hopes of ending one of country Victoria's longest premiership droughts with their preliminary final win over Bears Lagoon-Serpentine.

Pyramid Hill will take on Mitiamo in the senior grand final, while the Bulldogs will also feature in the reserves against Mitiamo as well and arch-rivals Maiden Gully YCW in the under-18s.

It's believed to be the first time in the club's history it has all three football teams competing on grand final day, while Pyramid Hill also has a pair of netball teams - 15-under and 13-under - represented.

Saturday's 35-point victory over the Bears at Inglewood was set up in the first quarter.

The Bulldogs led by 29 points at quarter-time, but only outscored the Bears by a further six points in winning 14.15 (99) to 9.10 (64).

"Everyone was really switched on and ready to go from the outset and to get off to the start we did in the first quarter against a bit of a breeze basically proved the difference in the end,'' Pyramid Hill coach Adrian McErvale said.

The Bulldogs held the Bears goal-less in the first term as they went to the quarter-time break in front 4.7 to 0.2.

It was the second goal-less first term by the Bears against the Bulldogs this season. In their previous meeting in round 15 Pyramid Hill had raced to a 54-4 lead at quarter-time.

"Full credit to Serp with the way they kept coming at us after quarter-time," said McErvale, who now has the chance to become Pyramid Hill's first senior premiership coach since Harry Henderson 69 years ago.

"There were a couple of times where we thought we could be able to break them, but they'd kick a couple of goals to stay in it.

"Outside of the first 15 to 20 minutes it was a really even game."

The main injury watch for the Bulldogs in grand final week will be on young forward Bailey George, who hurt his shoulder.

"He'll be a test this week, but at this stage we think he'll definitely be a chance," McErvale said.

Eleven of the Bulldogs' 14 goals came off the boots of two players - Braidy Dickens (six) and Matt Klein-Breteler (five).

"Braidy's pressure in the forward 50 was important and he worked really hard for his six goals," McErvale said.

"And in the first quarter when we were quite inaccurate, KB (Klein-Breteler) was the player who was able to put a few straight through the middle... he had his kicking boots on today."

As well as Klein-Breteler and Dickens, other players who featured among the best for the Bulldogs were centre half-forward Lachlan O'Toole, midfielder James Sala, Steven Gunther, who provided plenty of pressure, and the experienced Michael Bateman in defence.

Saturday's victory propels the Bulldogs through to their first grand final since 2011.

Their opposition club, Mitiamo, is who Pyramid Hill beat to win its last premiership in 1950.

Bears Lagoon-Serpentine coach Greg Gadsden's synopsis of the game post-match was simple - his side was left to rue its poor start.

"We gave them a start again, which we couldn't afford to do," Gadsden said.

"They were out by five goals at quarter-time and that was basically the margin for the rest of the day.

"We let them off the leash early and then we had to spend the rest of the day playing catch-up and we just couldn't bridge the gap."

Forward James Rippingale (four) and James Bailey (two) were the only multiple goalkickers for the Bears.

Centre half-back Dylan Hanley, who played on the Bulldogs' O'Toole, was named the best for the Bears, whose better players also featured young ruckman Nathan Twigg, Brodie Leonard-Shannon at both ends of the ground, on-ballers Matthew Gibbs and Harry Gadsden and Rippingale.

While there will be immediate disappointment among the Bears for falling one step short of the grand final, when the dust settles the club will be able to look back on what has been a superb turnaround in just three years.

Back in 2016 the Bears were rock bottom - the senior, reserves and under-18 teams all winless.

But three years on both the seniors and reserves reached preliminary finals.

"To have been in the position we were three years ago with no wins at all in any grade and get to what we've done this year with two preliminary final teams has been a massive step forward," Gadsden said.

"As I said to the boys after the game, I'd challenge any club to have been in the position we were three years ago to say they'd be able to get a couple of sides into preliminary finals in such a short period of time."

Gadsden has overseen the entire re-build from winless in 2016 to preliminary final in 2019, but is weighing up his coaching future after four seasons at the helm.

Next Saturday at Calivil

Seniors - Mitiamo v Pyramid Hill, 2.30pm

Reserves - Pyramid Hill v Mitiamo, 12.30pm

Under-18s - Maiden Gully YCW v Pyramid Hill, 10.30am

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