BENDIGO ADDY'S DECADE IN REVIEW SERIES:
HDFNL - LOCKINGTON-BAMAWM UNITED
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HDFNL - LEITCHVILLE-GUNBOWER
HDFNL - HUNTLY
HDFNL - HEATHCOTE
HDFNL - ELMORE
HDFNL - COLBINABBIN
LVFNL - PYRAMID HILL
LVFNL - NEWBRIDGE
LVFNL - MITIAMO
LVFNL - MARONG
LVFNL - MAIDEN GULLY YCW
LVFNL - INGLEWOOD
LVFNL - CALIVIL UNITED
LVFNL - BRIDGEWATER
LVFNL - BEARS LAGOON-SERPENTINE
NCFL - ALL EIGHT CLUBS
BY Mount Pleasant's lofty standards, the 2010s decade in the Heathcote District league was lean.
The Blues are the most successful club in the HDFNL with 19 senior football premierships, but for the majority of the 2010s it was a battle on-field.
The 56 senior wins for the 2010s pale in comparison to their successful decades of the 2000s (109), 1990s (144) and 1980s (126).
And having so long been a staple of September, (between 1980 and 2009 the Blues played in 24 of 30 finals series), Mount Pleasant made just two finals appearances for the 2010s in 2014 and 2019.
There was also a rare wooden spoon in 2017 with just two wins, as well as the forgettable day they were held to 0.2 (2) by Huntly in round seven - the league's lowest score of the decade.
But by the end of the decade coach Darren Walsh had the Blues back on a forward trajectory, improving to five wins in 2018 and then 11 in 2019 with a preliminary final appearance.
The Blues had two winners of the league goalkicking for the decade - Matt Gilmore with 59 in 2013 and Ben Weightman with 79 in 2019.
Gilmore in 2013 was the only forward for the decade to win the league goalkicking in a team that missed the finals.
Meanwhile, Weightman, who arrived at the Blues from Kyneton in 2018, was the only Mount Pleasant player to kick more than 100 goals for the decade.
Weightman booted 155 goals across the 2018-19 seasons, which included hauls of seven and six in the Blues' pair of finals wins over White Hills and LBU last year.
Weightman also slotted the only double-figure bag of the decade by a Blues' player with his 12 goals in an 88-point win against Huntly in round nine last season.
The Blues' best player votes (six for being named best, five for second best and so on) for the decade were led by Pat O'Brien with 160.
O'Brien featured among the Blues' best players in 38 games for the decade, including 28 times in the top three.
Taig Grifin (147), Nick Edwards (141), Chris Black (140) and Trevor Douglas (109) rounded out the top five for the Blues.
Although they didn't win the game, one of their most memorable performances of the decade was when the Blues - on the bottom of the ladder at the time - halted Heathcote's 28-game winning streak in round eight of 2011 in an 86-all draw at Toolleen.
While there were no senior flags during the decade for the Blues - their last remains 2006 - they did win an under-17 premiership in 2014 when they defeated White Hills.
YEAR-BY-YEAR:
2010
Finished - 6th (6-10)
Most best player votes:
Shane Davis - 31
Leading goalkicker:
Jamie Gee - 24
............................................
2011
Finished - 8th (2-13-1)
Most best player votes:
Pat O'Brien - 65
Leading goalkicker:
Corbin Fleming - 22
............................................
2012
Finished - 6th (6-10)
Most best player votes:
Nick Harris - 44
Leading goalkicker:
Shaun Young - 32
............................................
2013
Finished - 8th (4-12)
Most best player votes:
Jarrod Findlay - 42
Leading goalkicker:
Matt Gilmore - 59
............................................
2014
Finished - 4th (11-7)
lost first semi-final to LBU
Most best player votes:
Kain Robins - 49
Leading goalkicker:
Matt Gretgrix - 62
............................................
2015
Finished - 7th (4-12)
Most best player votes:
Simon Seddon - 47
Leading goalkicker:
Nick Grigg - 56
............................................
2016
Finished - 6th (5-11)
Most best player votes:
Carl Thiesz - 48
Leading goalkicker:
Nick Grigg - 30
............................................
2017
Finished - 9th (2-13-1)
Most best player votes:
Adam Richardson - 48
Leading goalkicker:
Ryan Herring - 21
............................................
2018
Finished - 6th (5-11)
Most best player votes:
Dale Young - 37
Leading goalkicker:
Ben Weightman - 60
............................................
2019
Finished - 3rd (11-8)
lost preliminary final to North Bendigo
Most best player votes:
Ben Weightman - 52
Leading goalkicker:
Ben Weightman - 95
BEST PLAYER VOTES:
1 - Pat O'Brien
Votes: 160
Times in best: 38
Top 3: 28 No.1: 11
............................................
2 - Taig Griffin
Votes: 147
Times in best: 50
Top 3: 18 No.1: 6
............................................
3 - Nick Edwards
Votes: 141
Times in best: 45
Top 3: 19 No.1: 6
............................................
4 - Chris Black
Votes: 140
Times in best: 42
Top 3: 19 No.1: 4
............................................
5 - Trevor Douglas
Votes: 109
Times in best: 32
Top 3: 17 No.1: 5
............................................
6 - Joe Whiting
Votes: 95
Times in best: 26
Top 3: 14 No.1: 3
............................................
7 - James Walsh
Votes: 92
Times in best: 25
Top 3: 15 No.1: 5
............................................
8 - Koe Ngawati
Votes: 92
Times in best: 22
Top 3: 14 No.1: 5
............................................
9 - Ben Weightman
Votes: 85
Times in best: 19
Top 3: 13 No.1: 10
............................................
10 - Mitch Bennett
Votes: 84
Times in best: 23
Top 3: 11 No.1: 3
TOP 10 GOALKICKERS:
1 - Ben Weightman
Goals: 155
High: 12 Games: 35
5+: 14 10+: 1
............................................
2 - Nick Grigg
Goals: 86
High: 7 Games: 23
5+: 8 10+: 0
............................................
3 - Matt Gretgrix
Goals: 62
High: 8 Games: 15
5+: 7 10+: 0
............................................
4 - Matt Gilmore
Goals: 59
High: 9 Games: 15
5+: 4 10+: 0
............................................
5 - Mathew Johnson
Goals: 58
High: 7 Games: 20
5+: 3 10+: 0
............................................
6 - Shaun Young
Goals: 58
High: 6 Games: 34
5+: 2 10+: 0
............................................
7 - Kain Robins
Goals: 56
High: 9 Games: 15
5+: 4 10+: 0
............................................
8 - Aaron McKean
Goals: 49
High: 4 Games: 29
5+: 0 10+: 0
............................................
9 - Pat O'Brien
Goals: 42
High: 3 Games: 32
5+: 0 10+: 0
............................................
10 - Nick Edwards
Goals: 40
High: 4 Games: 29
5+: 0 10+: 0
HEAD-TO-HEAD:
v Colbinabbin
Record - 4-16
............................................
v Elmore
Record - 11-8-1
............................................
v Heathcote
Record - 8-11-1
............................................
v Huntly
Record - 7-13
............................................
v Leitchville-Gunbower
Record - 4-16
............................................
v LBU
Record - 7-15
............................................
v North Bendigo
Record - 1-20
............................................
v White Hills
Record - 14-8
DECADE RECORD:
Played - 165
Won - 56
Lost - 107
Drawn - 2
Winning % - 33.9%
Average for/agst - 76/105
Seasons in finals - 2
Finals record - 3-2
Premierships - 0
RESERVES:
Total wins - 85
Seasons in finals - 6
Premierships - 0
UNDER-17S:
Total wins - 97
Seasons in finals - 7
Premierships - 1
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