THE Bendigo Advertiser continues its countdown of the top 50 most dominant premiership seasons across the Bendigo, Heathcote District and Loddon Valley leagues since 1990 with No.48 and No.47.
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48 - GISBORNE 2006
Coach - Marcus Barham
Record - 18-3
Percentage - 242.2%
Average for - 150
Average against - 62
Points differential - +88
RESULTS:
lt Golden Square 92-93
def South Bendigo 106-35
def Eaglehawk 140-101
def Maryborough 214-47
def Kyneton 254-52
def Castlemaine 169-58
def Kangaroo Flat 172-59
def North City 241-77
def Sandhurst 141-80
def Golden Square 121-114
lt South Bendigo 75-95
def Eaglehawk 33-19
def Maryborough 164-31
def Kyneton 173-31
def Castlemaine 118-88
def Kangaroo Flat 188-27
def North City 222-25
def Sandhurst 182-54
Second semi-final:
lt Golden Square 74-88
Preliminary final:
def South Bendigo 183-63
Grand final:
def Golden Square 89-64
SUMMARY - The second of back-to-back flags for Gisborne in the Bendigo league after the Bulldogs had also triumphed in 2005.
Coached by Marcus Barham, the Bulldogs' defence of their 2005 flag started with a one-point defeat to Golden Square at Wade Street, but they would lose just two more times for the rest of the season.
Spent 14 of the 18 rounds sitting on top of the ladder, while during one five-game stretch between rounds four and eight they won by margins of 167, 202, 111, 113 and 164 points.
The Bulldogs kicked three scores above 200 during that five-game run of blowing the opposition away - 33.16 (214) against Maryborough in round four, 40.14 (254) against Kyneton in round five and 36.25 (241) against North City in round eight.
Gisborne also broke the 200-point barrier in its return game against North City in round 17 when it booted 32.30 (222) in a 197-point win.
Of the Bulldogs's 18 wins in 2006, 11 were by margins of more than 100 points, including a 120-point demolition job of South Bendigo in the preliminary final.
The following week they kicked five goals to one against Golden Square in the first quarter on the way to a 25-point grand final victory, 13.11 (89) to 9.10 (64).
The Bulldogs featured four of the leading vote-getters in the 2006 Michesen Medal - captain Luke Saunders (equal third), defender Rod Sharp (equal fourth), classy forward Darren Farrugia and gun midfielder Matt Fitzgerald (both equal fifth).
Saunders (58), Farrugia (52) and Michael Dillon (48) combined for 158 goals, while the side had a spread of 17 players who slotted at least 10 for the year.
THE TEAM - Ben James, Marcus Barham, Ryan Webster, Rod Sharp, David Power, Cameron Medica, Michael Dillon, Ollie Messaoudi, James McFarlane, Daniel Sipthorp, Richard White, Darren Farrugia, Glen Carrick, Luke Saunders, Jason Duff-Tytler, Anthony Belcher, Matt Fitzgerlad, Adam Pokrovsky, Luke Power, Daniel Saunders, Shane Davis.
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47 - CALIVIL 1990
Coach - Dale Alford
Record - 16-2
Percentage - 154.9%
Average for - 106
Average against - 69
Points differential - +37
RESULTS:
lt Korong Vale 75-86
def Newbridge 116-91
def Marong 107-65
def Mitiamo 97-62
def BL-Serpentine 100-55
def Bridgewater 114-84
def YCW 150-64
def Inglewood 105-94
def Korong Vale 94-88
def Newbridge 57-39
lt Marong 63-64
def Mitiamo 97-47
def BL-Serpentine 98-68
def Bridgewater 144-54
def YCW 132-68
def Inglewood 101-55
Second semi-final:
def Korong Vale 128-83
Grand final:
def Korong Vale 136-69
SUMMARY - It was a centenary season to savour for Calivil in 1990 when the Demons snapped a 20-year premiership drought.
Coached by Dale "Buster" Alford in his one and only year at the helm at Calivil, the Demons' 67-point domination of Korong Vale in the Loddon Valley grand final capped a 16-2 season.
Remarkably, fellow grand finalist Korong Vale was also celebrating its centenary season in 1990 in what would prove to be the club's last hurrah after disbanding soon after.
"To have two sides in their 100th year of footy playing in a grand final... you won't see that again," Alford recalled this week.
The only blemishes for the Demons in 1990 were an 11-point loss to Korong Vale in the wet in their season-opener, while they were pipped by one point by Marong, also in the wet, in round 12.
But after the one-point loss to Marong the Demons never looked back, winning their last seven games by an average of 56 points.
"It was a very talented side and a very coachable group of players," Alford said.
"We recruited well, got some good locals back to the club and their juniors were playing in about their sixth grand final in a row that year, so there was a really good mix and everything came together well.
"In my opinion, it was the best side in the league by a long way that year."
The Demons' 20.16 (136) to 10.9 (69) grand final win over Korong Vale at Bridgewater featured 12 goals between forwards Rod Wight (seven) and Peter Harper (five), while the premiership side included centre half-forward Scott Elliott, who had been on the Brisbane Bears' list.
"We had a lot of highly-talented players that year, but also a lot of unsung heroes as well," Alford said.
The Demons' 16-2 premiership season of 1990 came only three years after Calivil had finished on the bottom of the ladder in 1987 with just two wins.
THE TEAM - Shane Dole, Glenn Richards, Rod Wight, Andrew Cole, Peter Harper, Scott Elliott, Paul Diss, Richard Burke, Mick Smyth, Gavin Miles, Colin Daley, Ross Daley, Russell Boorn, Dale Alford, Michael Lawry, Anthony Lawry, David Murphy, Bryan Miles, Roger Miles, Darren Newland, Jock Alford.
THE LIST SO FAR:
NO.50 & 49 - Calivil United 2003, Eaglehawk 2018
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