That's all that mattered for South Bendigo as the Bloods opened the 2021 BFNL season with a 106-point win over Castlemaine at Camp Reserve.

The Bloods kicked 10 behinds before they registered a goal and were put under plenty of pressure early by the gallant Pies, but a 12-goal unanswered burst from the six-minute of the second term to midway through the third quarter broke the home side's resistance.

South star Kaiden Antonowicz kicked four goals, but could have had 10 in the 19.29 (143) to 5.7 (37) result.

"Credit to Castlemaine, they've certainly improved from 2019...they stuck at it and gave us a fair shake,'' South Bendigo coach Nathan Horbury said.

"It took us a while to settle into our game style and we finished off the game okay.

"It was good to get a hitout in and run away with it the way we did.

"Hopefully, we'll get Sunny Brazier and Daniel Nalder back next week to give us more targets inside 50 so that we don;t have to kick it to Kaiden all the time."

Zac Hare and Will Keck were superb for the Bloods, particularly when the game was in the balance in the first half.

Importantly, South recruits Cooper Leon, Oliver Simpson, Oscar White and Michael Herlihy (three goals) looked well-suited to Bendigo football.

"They're going to be good for us,'' Horbury said.

"They've only had a couple of practice matches and this game with us and we're still getting used to the way they play and vice versa.

"I certainly think we'll be better suited to the QEO where we can get our running game going."

First look at the final scoreline might suggest otherwise, but Castlemaine has improved.

Yes, it was a triple figure defeat and yes, it would have been more if the Bloods had kicked straight.

However, there were good signs for the Pies to take out of the game.

They held the Bloods goalless in the first quarter and they kicked the first three goals of the game, including a couple of well-executed movements of the ball from defensive 50 to forward 50.

South's depth was always going to be telling, but the Pies played with a spirit that showed they believe in what new coach Don Moran is trying to achieve.

With the squad largely made up of local talent, there was a sense of team, which wasn't always the case in previous seasons.

Early in the second term when the Pies kicked two goals in a minute to grab a nine-point lead, every player on the field ran to congratulate goalkickers Klai Jermyn and Jackson Hood.

The nine-point lead quickly evaporated and the Bloods took over, but there were enough signs there for the Pies to be encouraged - particularly with the performances of 19-year-old Will Moran, 18-year-old Declan Slingo and 17-year-old Brodie Byrne.

At times this season there's going to be 25-goal losses to the top sides, but on Saturday's evidence there might also be an afternoon or two at the Camp Reserve where the young Pies will still be in the game going into the final quarter.

From there you just never know. The winless streak dating back to round one, 2018, might come to a grinding halt.

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