Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
BENDIGO LEAGUE - ROUND 4
2017 - Sandhurst 13.18 (96) dr Kyneton 14.12 (96).
Kyneton looked set to claim the scalp of the BFNL's reigning premiers in round five of 2017 when the Tigers led Sandhurst by 12 points with 1:45 left in the game at the QEO.
However, that 1:45 was enough time on the clock for the Dragons to kick two late goals in quick succession through Seb Greene and Lee Coghlan to level the scores, before the match ended in a 96-all draw.
The Dragons had five more scoring shots, while the Tigers spent all but five minutes of the game in front, including by as many as 25 points during the second term.
Ben Weightman bagged five goals for the Tigers - the last of which was a sensational banana kick in the South Bendigo social rooms pocket - while team-mate Rhys Magin earned the three Michelsen Medal votes.
BEST - Sandhurst: Tim Martin, Matt Thornton, Andrew Collins. Kyneton: Patrick McCarthy, Ben Weightman, Taylor Kelly.
.............................................
2017 - Strathfieldsaye 14.8 (92) def Gisborne 13.9 (87).
On the same day as the Sandhurst-Kyneton draw at the QEO, the emerging Gisborne and Strathfieldsaye played out a thriller at Gardiner Reserve.
Desperately craving a big scalp, the young Bulldogs served it right up to the Storm, but fell short by less than a kick as Strathfieldsaye clung on to win by five points at Gardiner Reserve.
Storm forward Lachlan Sharp kicked seven of his side's 14 goals before leaving the field in the last term with a hamstring injury with three Micheslen votes to his name, while Bulldogs' coach Clinton Young also hurt a hamstring.
BEST - Strathfieldsaye: Lachlan Sharp, Kallen Geary, Trent Donnan. Gisborne: Ryan Baker, Patrick Trotta, Oliver Clough.
.............................................
2013 - Golden Square 14.11 (95) def Sandhurst 14.10 (94).
It doesn't get much more gut-wrenching for a Sandhurst supporter than to cop a loss to Golden Square by one point - particularly when you get to round four without a win on the board.
The Dragons fell agonisingly short of pulling off a remarkable come-from-behind victory after they had trailed the Bulldogs by 33 points eight minutes into the final quarter.
However, with the breeze at their backs, the Dragons kicked the last five goals to the city end, but were ultimately pipped by the barest of margins in what was favourite son Keiran Nihill's 250th game.
New Golden Square coach Rick Ladson was a thorn in the side of the Dragons, kicking five goals to be the Bulldogs' best player, while ruckman Tim Martin dominated for Sandhurst on the way to the first of his back-to-back Michelsen medals.
"We limped to the line, but we're obviously very happy to get the result. I was proud of the boys' effort to hang on and you've got to take these early wins when you can get them," Ladson said.
BEST - Golden Square: Rick Ladson, Simon Rosa, Jack Daley. Sandhurst: Tim Martin, Ben Anderson, Tom Hartney.
.............................................
2012 - Golden Square 14.8 (92) def South Bendigo 10.18 (78).
This game serves as a reminder of the three years (2010-12) when Grant Weeks dominated the goalsquare for Golden Square.
The three-time defending premier Bulldogs kicked 14 goals in their 14-point win over South Bendigo at Wade Street - 10 of which came off the boot of Weeks.
Weeks hauled in 11 marks and took his 2012 season tally to 35 goals from just four games
Weeks would end the year with a league record in 164, while it was a missed opportunity for South Bendigo, which had six more scoring shots than the Bulldogs and also had the better of the inside-50 count, 44-37.
"We won everything we measure ourselves on... it's not too often that happens and you walk away from a game having been beaten," Bloods coach Rick Coburn said.
BEST - Golden Square: Adam Baird, Grant Weeks, Clayton Anderson. South Bendigo: Daniel Anderson, Daniel Nalder, Jye Sandiford.
HEATHCOTE DISTRICT - ROUND 5
2019 - LBU 14.5 (89) def White Hills 13.7 (85).
A last-minute goal to Zeik Johnston kept Lockington-Bamawm United's unbeaten record intact in a thriller at home against White Hills last year.
Five weeks earlier the two sides had meet in the 2019 HDFNL season-opener in what was a blowout win to the Cats by 94 points.
However, in the return battle the Cats had to dig deep to claim the points after trailing by three goals during the final term.
Both teams had players boot six goals - Lachlan Collins for LBU, including two late in the match, and Mitch Dole for White Hills.
BEST - LBU: Lachlan Collins, Nathan O'Brien, Jeremy Mundie. White Hills: David Wright, Sam Kerridge, Jake Allport.
.............................................
2017 - Huntly 12.13 (85) def Colbinabbin 10.19 (79).
A session of goalkicking practice was needed at Colbinabbin after the Grasshoppers blew this game against Huntly, kicking 10.19 in a six-point defeat.
The Grasshoppers had led at each break, but weren't in front when it mattered most - the final siren.
"Due respect to Huntly, but we lost that game ourselves... simple as that," Colbinabbin coach Nick Knight said.
"We kicked poorly at goal and took our foot off the pedal in the last quarter."
The Grasshoppers led by six points at three quarter-time before the Hawks kicked 3.4 to 1.4 in the final term to turn their deficit into a six-point win and square their season ledger back at 2-2 after starting 2017 0-2.
BEST - Huntly: Stacy Fiske, Rhett Sutton, Jaydon Cowling. Colbinabbin: Cameron Hall, Mitch McEvoy, Nat Nixon.
LODDON VALLEY - ROUND 6
2018 - Pyramid Hill 10.10 (70) def Bridgewater 10.7 (67)
A match-saving tackle in the dying stages from Dylan Tonkin ensured the Bulldogs held on by three points against the Mean Machine.
Bridgewater surged the ball from its defensive 50 into its front half in a last-ditch effort to win the game, but the Mean Machine were thwarted by a Tonkin tackle seconds before the final siren.
Bulldogs coach Brad Fawcett was full of praise for his side after a string of injuries left them with no rotations during the final quarter.
The win capped a 6-0 start to the 2018 season for the Bulldogs, which included four victories by single-figure margins.
BEST - Pyramid Hill: Matt Klein-Breteler, Mitch Cheesman, Adrian McErvale. Bridgewater: Tristin Nalder, Liam Jacques, Josh Metherell.
.............................................
2017 - Maiden Gully 12.4 (76) def Marong 10.15 (75)
The first win for Maiden Gully YCW at its new Marist College home ground, while the one-point victory also broke a string of 10 losses in a row against Marong for the Eagles.
The Eagles came from behind, kicking the last two goals of the game through Brayden Aitken and captain Cohen Kekich to clinch a win by the tightest margin.
And they did it despite having nine less scoring shots the Panthers.
After the two goals through Aitken and Kekich the Eagles clung on for dear life, with a strong defensive contested mark from Patrick Cummins thwarting a late Marong attacking foray.
BEST - Maiden Gully YCW: Cohen Kekich, Brayden Aitken, Jack Wakefield. Marong: Jarrod Fitzpatrick, Ryan Wellington, Lachlan Frankel.
.............................................
2016 - Marong 10.10 (70) def BL-Serpentine 10.7 (67)
A gutsy win by the Panthers, who improved to 4-1, after spending the bulk of the day trailing the Bears.
The Panthers' deficit had been 13 points at three quarter-time, but after closing to within a kick Richard Tibbett then nailed what would prove to be the match-winning goal.
The Bears had a late chance to snatch back the lead, but a Jayden Gladman shot from 50m just faded to the right for a behind in what was the last score of the game.
It would prove an opportunity gone begging for the Bears, who would go on to endure a winless 2016 season.
"We basically led all day, so to not get over the line is disappointing for the boys... they worked their backsides off all day," Bears coach Greg Gadsden said.
BEST - Marong: Zach Turnbull, Corbin Fleming, Justin Bateson. BL-Serpentine: Andrew Gladman, Nathan McNally, Rhys Deacon.
.............................................
2014 - Pyramid Hill 17.14 (116) def BL-Serpentine 17.9 (111)
Pyramid Hill overhauled a 22-point half-time deficit against the Bears, winning a high-scoring contest where both sides kicked 17 goals apiece.
The Bulldogs kicked eight of their 17 goals during a third-term onslaught as they went from 22 points down to nine points up, with coach Paul Grayling's answer to the reason behind the turnaround simple: "Basically, the blokes started doing what they were told."
Grayling (five) and Sam Kennedy (four) combined for nine goals for the victorious Bulldogs.
BEST - Pyramid Hill: Liam Bartels, Linc Withers, Bryden Morison. BL-Serpentine: Josh Shaw, James Orr, Jye Sandiford.
Have you signed up to the Bendigo Advertiser's daily newsletter and breaking news emails? You can register below and make sure you are up to date with everything that's happening in central Victoria.