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2 - BRIDGEWATER 2014
ACROSS its Loddon Valley league record-setting run of seven premierships in a row between 2010 and 2016, season 2014 stands out as the most dominant of the Bridgewater dynasty.
Undefeated and with an average winning margin of 88 points, the appointment of Andrew Collins as coach saw a team that had already won four-consecutive flags raise the bar even further.
In a huge coup Collins returned to Bridgewater straight from Carlton following his 36-game AFL career, telling the Addy at the end of the pre-season: "You might think that after a bit of success the group might drop off a bit, but there has been no sign of that."
And he was right - the Mean Machine was as hungry as ever and the signs for the rest of the league were ominous from the outset.
Runners-up to Bridgewater the previous year, Bears Lagoon-Serpentine had again been touted in 2014 as the Mean Machine's most likely major threat.
However, the Mean Machine belted the Bears by 76 points in round one and never looked back.
The only team that could get within five goals of the Mean Machine was YCW in round five when they were beaten by 24 points, although, when they met again in round 14 the margin was 173 points on the day Bridgewater kicked its highest score of the season - 32.17 (209).
The Mean Machine finished four games and more than 150 per cent clear on top of the ladder before knocking over the Bears by 53 points in the second semi-final.
A fortnight later Bridgewater again faced the Bears in the grand final, but there was no repeat of the enthralling battle the two sides had played out in the previous year's decider when the Mean Machine clung on to win by eight points.
Instead, the Mean Machine closed out their all-conquering 2014 season with a 96-point demolition of the Bears, winning 22.15 (147) to 7.9 (51) at Mitiamo.
The Mean Machine's premiership team include midfielder Adam Parry, who won that season's Harding Medal for the second year in a row, Collins, who would win the medal the following year, and Zeb Broadbent, who would win it in 2016.
Defensively, the Mean Machine strangled their opposition, conceding an average of just 49 points per game, while offensively their arsenal of options was highlighted by 15 players kicking at least 11 goals, led by Brad Rohde's 58.
"We trained really hard that year and had a group of very keen fellas. We had a really good dynamic of a strong backline with a lot of experience, a talented on-ball set-up with the likes of Adam Parry, Zac East, Zeb Broadbent, Cal Prest on a wing, and a great group of forwards as well," Collins said on Tuesday.
"Looking back, it was a very talented side that was genuinely hungry every time it went out to play."
SNAPSHOT:
Coach - Andrew Collins
Record - 18-0
Percentage - 282.7%
Average for - 137
Average against - 49
Points differential - +88
Quarters won - 65 of 72
Time in front - 95.8%
THE SEASON:
ROUND 1 - 20.22 (142) def BL-Serpentine 9.12 (66)
Best - Andrew Collins, Taylor Strachan, Danny Childs
Record: 1-0, 215.2%, 2nd
.............................................
ROUND 2 - Bye
.............................................
ROUND 3 - 14.9 (93) def Newbridge 7.11 (53)
Best - Adam Parry, Callum Prest, Zac East
Record: 2-0, 197.5%, 2nd
.............................................
ROUND 4 - 19.18 (132) def Inglewood 4.5 (29)
Best - Callum Prest, Brad Rohde, Marc Lindsay
Record: 3-0, 248.0%, 1st
.............................................
ROUND 5 - 9.18 (72) def YCW 6.12 (48)
Best - Josh Metherell, Zeb Broadbent, Deon Jones
Record: 4-0, 224.0%, 1st
.............................................
ROUND 6 - 19.15 (129) def Mitiamo 4.12 (36)
Best - Adam Parry, Daniel Nalder, Zeb Broadbent
Record: 5-0, 244.8%, 1st
.............................................
ROUND 7 - 20.17 (137) def Pyramid Hill 8.5 (53)
Best - Zeb Broadbent, Darren Clutton, Brad Rohde
Record: 6-0, 247.4%, 1st
.............................................
ROUND 8 - 20.11 (131) def Marong 8.11 (59)
Best - Zac East, Daniel Connors, Alex Pollock
Record: 7-0, 243.0%, 1st
.............................................
ROUND 9 - 26.21 (177) def Calivil United 5.5 (35)
Best - Adam Parry, Zeb Broadbent, Alex Pollock
Record: 8-0, 267.3%, 1st
.............................................
ROUND 10 - 22.12 (144) def BL-Serpentine 13.7 (85)
Best - Zeb Broadbent, Adam Parry, Alex Pollock
Record: 9-0, 249.4%, 1st
.............................................
ROUND 11 - Bye
.............................................
ROUND 12 - 17.20 (122) def Newbridge 6.13 (49)
Best - Daniel Nalder, Luke Harrison, Deon Jones
Record: 10-0, 249.3%, 1st
.............................................
ROUND 13 - 28.31 (199) def Inglewood 4.1 (25)
Best - Marc Lindsay, Darren Clutton, Zac East
Record: 11-0, 274.7%, 1st
.............................................
ROUND 14 - 32.17 (209) def YCW 5.6 (36)
Best - Josh Metherell, Zac East, Adam Parry
Record: 12-0, 293.39%, 1st
.............................................
ROUND 15 - 20.17 (137) def Mitiamo 5.10 (40)
Best - Zeb Broadbent, Tom Kuhne, Zac East
Record: 13-0, 297.1%, 1st
.............................................
ROUND 16 - 18.19 (127) def Pyramid Hill 8.1 (49)
Best - Brad Rohde, Adam Parry, Andrew Collins
Record: 14-0, 294.3%, 1st
.............................................
ROUND 17 - 16.13 (109) def Marong 11.10 (76)
Best - Danny Childs, Adam Parry, Isaac Broadbent
Record: 15-0, 278.8%, 1st
.............................................
ROUND 18 - 21.25 (151) def Calivil United 3.8 (26)
Best - Andrew Collins, Zeb Broadbent, Alex Pollock
Record: 16-0, 289.0%, 1st
.............................................
SECOND SEMI - 16.14 (110) def BL-Serpentine 8.9 (57)
Best - Zeb Broadbent, Alex Pollock, Tristin Nalder
Record: 17-0, 282.4%
.............................................
GRAND FINAL - 22.15 (147) def BL-Serpentine 7.9 (51)
Best - Alex Pollock, Brad Rohde, Darren Clutton
Record: 18-0, 282.7%
.............................................
PREMIERSHIP TEAM:
Brad Rohde, Daniel Nalder, Darren Clutton, Deon Jones, Josh Metherell, Zeb Broadbent, Tristin Nalder, Josh McLeod, Marc Lindsay, Callum Prest, Luke Harrison, Andrew Collins, Zac East, Harry Symons, Tom Kuhne, David Harrison, Danny Childs, Adam Parry, Alex Pollock, Isaac Broadbent, Taylor Strachan, Brian Westley.
TOP 10 BEST PLAYER VOTES:
Zeb Broadbent - 54
Adam Parry - 47
Zac East - 32
Alex Pollock - 27
Marc Lindsay - 26
Brad Rohde - 23
Darren Clutton - 21
Andrew Collins - 18
Callum Prest - 15
Josh Metherell - 14
TOP 5 GOALKICKERS:
Brad Rohde - 58
Andrew Collins - 47
Zeb Broadbent - 35
Darren Clutton - 26
Zac East - 25
THE LIST SO FAR
No.3 - Bridgewater 2016
No. 4 - Calivil United 2005
No. 5 - Calivil United 2004
No. 6 - Strathfieldsaye 2015
No. 7 - Heathcote 2010
No. 8 - South Bendigo 1993
No. 10 & 9 - Golden Square 2010; Strathfieldsaye 2019
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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