WE'VE reached the top 10 in our series on the 50 most dominant premiership seasons across the region since 1990.
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10 - GOLDEN SQUARE 2010
Coach - Nick Carter
Record - 19-1
Percentage - 226.7%
Average for - 139
Average against - 61
Points differential - +78
RESULTS:
def South Bendigo 131-45
def Kangaroo Flat 127-55
def Castlemaine 174-69
def Sandhurst 113-83
def Gisborne 164-24
def Kyneton 168-56
def Eaglehawk 133-63
def Maryborough 164-72
def Strathfieldsaye 197-69
def Kangaroo Flat 195-54
lt South Bendigo 68-85
def Castlemaine 180-72
def Sandhurst 47-31
def Gisborne 132-80
def Kyneton 176-63
def Eaglehawk 102-55
def Maryborough 89-47
def Strathfieldsaye 199-57
Second semi-final:
def Eaglehawk 131-87
Grand final:
def South Bendigo 87-58
SUMMARY - Well before the ball had been bounced for the start of the 2010 Bendigo league season it was hard not to see the premiership cup again headed back to Wade Street.
Having won the 2009 flag the Bulldogs under new coach Nick Carter bulked up their list even further with four huge inclusions - Simon Rosa, Luke Hammond, goalkicking machine Grant Weeks and James Bristow.
The Bulldogs jumped straight to the top of the ladder after an 86-point demolition of South Bendigo on Good Friday (Weeks kicked nine goals) in the round one grand final re-match and stayed there for the rest of the season.
By the time they faced South Bendigo for the second time the Bulldogs were 10-0 and with an average winning margin of 95 points.
Their chances though of an undefeated season were ruined by the Bloods at the QEO in round 11 when they were beaten by 17 points in their only loss of the year.
The Bulldogs later met the Bloods twice in the finals, beating them by 44 points in the second semi and 29 in the grand final, 11.21 (87) to 8.10 (58).
"The players deserve this... they've taken ownership of the team and put in all the hard work," Carter said.
"The scrutiny was on me because we topped up with some big name players who had great seasons for us. And the young players we've brought through have improved out of sight."
Weeks was an unstoppable force in the forward line and finished second in the Michelsen Medal.
Eight times Weeks kicked a double-figure bag on his way to 157 goals for the year as he feasted on sublime delivery from the likes of Rosa, Mark Lloyd, Nathan Bell, Hammond, Adam Baird, Jack Geary and co.
Six Bulldogs' players - Josh Baird (half-back), Lloyd (wing), Rosa (centre), Weeks (full-forward), David McMeekin and (ruck) and Bell (ruck-rover) - were named in the starting 18 of Addy's 2010 BFL Team of the Year, with Carter selected as coach.
THE TEAM - Grant Weeks, Shaun Young, Simon Rosa, Matt O'Toole, James Bristow, Josh Baird, Jack Geary, Anthony Holdstock, Luke Hammond, Mark Lloyd, David McMeekin, Aaron Hawkins, Adrian McErvale, Luke Rosa, Chris Malone, Adam Baird, Brayden Dorrington, Matt Klein-Breteler, Lachlan O'Toole, Nathan Bell, Dale Young.
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9 - STRATHFIELDSAYE 2019
Coach - Troy Coates
Record - 19-1
Percentage - 297.7%
Average for - 142
Average against - 48
Points differential - +94
RESULTS:
def Eaglehawk 98-60
def Sandhurst 89-43
def Golden Square 143-77
def Gisborne 96-75
def Kyneton 162-28
def Kangaroo Flat 135-59
def Castlemaine 230-8
def South Bendigo 172-30
def Maryborough 190-46
lt Eaglehawk 80-98
def Sandhurst 43-21
def Golden Square 97-77
def Gisborne 85-57
def Kyneton 192-21
def Kangaroo Flat 196-11
def Castlemaine 245-28
def South Bendigo 171-82
def Maryborough 222-25
Second semi-final:
def Eaglehawk 100-28
Grand final:
def Eaglehawk 94-80
SUMMARY - If it wasn't for one mid-season loss, Strathfieldsaye of 2019 would rank No.1 in this series.
The Storm won 19 of 20 games with a percentage of almost 300, but were denied the perfect 2019 season when they lost to Eaglehawk by 18 points in round 10.
Coached by Troy Coates, the Storm won eight of their 20 games by more than 100 points, including two stretches where they recorded a hat-trick of triple-figure wins - 222 points against Castlemaine, 142 points against South Bendigo and 144 points against Maryborough between rounds seven and nine; and 171 points against Kyneton, 185 points against Kangaroo Flat and 217 points against Castlemaine between rounds 14 and 16.
Defensively, the stingy Storm conceded an average of just 48 points per game for the year, while down the other end star forward Lachlan Sharp capitalised on his side's midfield dominance, booting 133 goals, including six hauls of 10-plus.
While Sharp was the key focal point in attack, the Storm - who averaged 142 points per game - also had swingman Bryce Curnow (31), Hugh Robertson (29), Josh Formosa (28) and Fergus Payne (20) kick at least 20 goals as well.
Curnow (centre half-back), Kallen Geary (half-back), Sam Heavyside (centre), Sharp (full forward) and Formosa (interchange) all featured in the Addy's Team of the Year picked in the lead-up to the Storm's grand final showdown with Eaglehawk - the third year in a row the two had faced off.
The Storm rounded out their season with a 14-point grand final win over Hawks, 14.10 (94) to 10.20 (80).
"I'm just so ecstatic for boys and the whole club... it's hard to put into words," said Coates after the Storm had withstood a last-quarter surge from the Hawks.
THE TEAM - Kellan Smith, Lachlan Sharp, Shannon Geary, Vinnie Flood, Fergus Payne, Harry Conway, Kallen Geary, Ben Lester, Jack Neylon, Jake Moorhead, Josh Formosa, Lachlan Wallace, Sam Heavyside, Bailey Henderson, Bryce Curnow, Caleb Sheahan, Hugh Robertson, Hunter Lawrence, Lachlan Gill, Lachlan Ratcliffe, Troy Coates, William Wallace.
THE LIST SO FAR
No. 12 & 11 - Castlemaine 2000; Strathfieldsaye 2014
No. 14 & 13 - Leitchville-Gunbower 2017; South Bendigo 1991
No. 16 & 15 - Colbinabbin 1999; Mount Pleasant 1995
No. 18 & 17 - YCW 1997; Bridgewater 2015
No. 20 & 19 - Mount Pleasant 1997; Mount Pleasant 1993
No. 22 & 21 - Bridgewater 2010; Bridgewater 2011
No. 24 & 23 - LBU 2011; Colbinabbin 1998
No. 26 & 25 - Gisborne 2003; LBU 2013
No. 28 & 27 - Gisborne 2002; Colbinabbin 1991
No. 30 & 29 - Maryborough 1998; Gisborne 2005
No. 32 & 31 - South Bendigo 1994; Golden Square 2009
No. 34 & 33 - Castlemaine 1992; South Bendigo 1990
No. 36 & 35 - Mitiamo 1999; Sandhurst 2016
No. 38 & 37 - North Bendigo 2019; Leitchville-Gunbower 2018
No. 40 & 39 - Bridgewater 1991; Calivil United 2017
No. 42 & 41 - Heathcote 1992, Sandhurst 2004
No. 44 & 43 - Eaglehawk 2008, Elmore 2007
No. 46 & 45 - Mount Pleasant 1990, Newbridge 2018
No. 48 & 47 - Gisborne 2006, Calivil United 1990
No. 50 & 49 - Calivil United 2003, Eaglehawk 2018
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