READ MORE - 2020 LVFNL fixture
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
THE 2010-19 decade was one of mixed fortunes for Bears Lagoon-Serpentine in the Loddon Valley league.
The club played in two senior grand finals (2013 and 2014), while also claiming two wooden spoons (2010 and 2016) during the 10-year timespan.
2013 remains the year of "what could have been" for the Bears when they finished on top of the ladder and got the early jump on Bridgewater in the grand final, leading by 27 points at quarter-time.
By the 10-minute mark of the last quarter though the Bears trailed by 35 points, before coming home with a wet sail and closing the gap to eight points, but ran out of time as Bridgewater won its fourth premiership in a row.
Three years later in 2016 following a mass turnover of players the Bears endured a winless season in the seniors, reserves and under-18s, but they didn't stay down for long.
They were back in the senior finals in 2017 in what was a dramatic turnaround and stayed there in 2018 and 2019, giving the Bears seven finals appearances for the decade.
Coach Greg Gadsden has been at the helm all the way through from the winless 2016 season through to last year reaching the preliminary final.
The Bears ranked fifth in the decade for most senior wins in the LVFNL with 88 - their most coming in their 2013 top-of-the-ladder season with 16 under coach Damien Featherby.
Using the system of awarding six votes for being named best and five for second best and so on, hard-nut midfielder Nathan McNally was the Bears' top ranked player of the decade.
McNally - who remains the club's last Harding medallist in 2006 - amassed 272 votes for a decade in which he was named among the Bears' best players in 71 games, including among the top three 39 times.
Fellow stalwart Andrew Gladman (243) was the only other Bears' player with more than 200 votes for the decade.
Crafty forward Cody Gunn was the Bears' most prolific goalkicker of the decade with 272.
Gunn kicked goals in 86 games for the Bears through the decade, including a high of 11 against Inglewood in a 216-point win during 2013.
Across its three football teams - seniors (88), reserves (60) and under-18s (54) - the Bears won a total of 202 games for the decade.
YEAR-BY-YEAR:
2010
Finished - 9th (1-15)
Most best player votes:
Josh Shaw - 57
Leading goalkicker:
Josh Shaw - 25
............................................
2011
Finished - 6th (7-9)
Most best player votes:
Andrew Gladman - 39
Leading goalkicker:
Cody Gunn - 32
............................................
2012
lost first semi-final to Newbridge
Finished - 4th (12-6)
Most best player votes:
Nathan McNally - 59
Leading goalkicker:
Cody Gunn - 61
............................................
2013
lost grand final to Bridgewater
Finished - 2nd (16-3)
Most best player votes:
Adrian Alford - 44
Leading goalkicker:
Cody Gunn - 61
............................................
2014
lost grand final to Bridgewater
Finished - 2nd (13-7)
Most best player votes:
Nathan McNally - 53
Leading goalkicker:
Josh Martyn - 54
............................................
2015
lost preliminary final to Mitiamo
Finished - 3rd (10-9)
Most best player votes:
Jye Sandiford - 35
Leading goalkicker:
Mathew Davidson - 63
............................................
2016
Finished - 9th (0-16)
Most best player votes:
Nick Arthur - 48
Leading goalkicker:
Rhys Deacon - 16
............................................
2017
lost elimination final to Mitiamo
Finished - 5th (9-8)
Most best player votes:
Nick Arthur - 49
Leading goalkicker:
James Rippingale - 39
............................................
2018
lost elimination final to Mitiamo
Finished - 5th (9-8)
Most best player votes:
Justin Laird - 37
Leading goalkicker:
Cody Gunn - 49
............................................
2019
lost preliminary final to Pyramid Hill
Finished - 3rd (11-7-1)
Most best player votes:
Matthew Gibbs - 68
Leading goalkicker:
Cody Gunn - 39
BEST PLAYER VOTES:
1 - Nathan McNally
Votes: 272
Times in best: 71
Top 3: 39 No.1: 16
............................................
2 - Andrew Gladman
Votes: 243
Times in best: 61
Top 3: 35 No.1: 14
............................................
3 - Nic Arthur
Votes: 174
Times in best: 44
Top 3: 30 No.1: 8
............................................
4 - Brodie Leonard-Shannon
Votes: 166
Times in best: 46
Top 3: 23 No.1: 7
............................................
5 - Brayden Scott
Votes: 128
Times in best: 35
Top 3: 20 No.1: 3
............................................
6 - Josh Shaw
Votes: 125
Times in best: 33
Top 3: 18 No.1: 11
............................................
7 - Nathan Twigg
Votes: 112
Times in best: 29
Top 3: 14 No.1: 8
............................................
8 - Shaun Bowles
Votes: 106
Times in best: 27
Top 3: 15 No.1: 4
............................................
9 - Josh Hutton
Votes: 103
Times in best: 28
Top 3: 15 No.1: 5
............................................
10 - Adrian Alford
Votes: 92
Times in best: 18
Top 3: 9 No.1: 6
TOP 10 GOALKICKERS:
1 - Cody Gunn
Goals: 272
High: 11 Games: 86
5+: 15 10+: 1
............................................
2 - James Rippingale
Goals: 147
High: 10 Games: 64
5+: 7 10+: 1
............................................
3 - Josh Hutton
Goals: 145
High: 9 Games: 55
5+: 9 10+: 0
............................................
4 - Josh Shaw
Goals: 117
High: 8 Games: 47
5+: 6 10+: 0
............................................
5 - Andrew Gladman
Goals: 116
High: 7 Games: 50
5+: 3 10+: 0
............................................
6 - Nathan McNally
Goals: 94
High: 4 Games: 63
5+: 0 10+: 0
............................................
7 - Brodie Leonard-Shannon
Goals: 92
High: 6 Games: 42
5+: 4 10+: 0
............................................
8 - Rohan Nolan
Goals: 64
High: 6 Games: 31
5+: 2 10+: 0
............................................
9 - Mathew Davidson
Goals: 63
High: 8 Games: 15
5+: 6 10+: 0
............................................
10 - Nic Arthur
Goals: 60
High: 6 Games: 33
5+: 3 10+: 0
HEAD-TO-HEAD:
v Bridgewater
Record - 5-20
............................................
v Calivil United
Record - 12-9
............................................
v Inglewood
Record - 16-4
............................................
v Maiden Gully YCW
Record - 14-7
............................................
v Marong
Record - 11-9
............................................
v Mitiamo
Record - 11-13
............................................
v Newbridge
Record - 9-11-1
............................................
v Pyramid Hill
Record - 10-15
DECADE RECORD:
Played - 177
Won - 88
Lost - 88
Drawn - 1
Winning % - 49.7%
Average for/agst - 90/93
Seasons in finals - 7
Finals record - 6-11
Premierships - 0
RESERVES:
Total wins - 60
Seasons in finals - 5
Premierships - 0
UNDER-18S:
Total wins - 54
Seasons in finals - 4
Premierships - 0
