Sandhurst's lack of efficiency with the ball is becoming a common thread.

The Dragons had 38 more disposals, 24 more clearances and seven more inside 50s than South Bendigo on Saturday, but it was the Bloods who won the battle on the scoreboard.

Sandhurst turned the ball over 20 more times, while the Bloods' kicking was a feature.

They kept possession well and had 51 more marks than the Dragons.

17 marks to 11 inside forward 50 opened the door for the Bloods to kick a winning score.

Individually, Cooper Leon was once again a standout for the Bloods with 34 possessions.

More importantly, the Bloods gained valuable contributions from lesser lights, including Brayden Torpey who had 22 kicks at an impressive 81 per cent efficiency.

The return of forward Kaiden Antonowicz was also vital. Antonowicz showed his class by kicking 6.2 from just 10 touches.

Sandhurst midfield maestro Lee Coghlan had 20 possessions, but only kicked the ball three times for the game - a strong indication that the Michelsen Medal winner is playing injured.

Strathfieldsaye 123 d Kyneton 77

The Storm's ability to run out the game strongly on the big ground proved decisive.

There was only seven points the difference at the 20-minute mark of the third quarter before the home side surged clear.

The Storm had 98 disposals to 68 in the final quarter and kicked 6.7 to 3.2.

Overall, the Storm had 104 more possessions than the Tigers and they shared the ball better than the visitors.

In other major statistical areas the Tigers matched the home side.

Inside 50s were 57-54 in favour of the Storm, clearances were 42-38 the Storm's way, turnovers were level at 62 each,

Storm star Jake Moorhead was the leading possession winner on the ground with 37 - 26 kicks and 11 handballs.

Kallen Geary picked up 30 touches and kicked two goals in his first game of the season.

Cameron Manuel and Hamish Yunghanns led the way for the Tigers with 31 and 28 possessions respectively.

Kangaroo Flat 88 lt Eaglehawk 137

The final scoreline mightn't indicate it, but this was probably Kangaroo Flat's best performance for 12 months.

The young Roos won the clearances 47-34 and had more inside 50s 61-53 against their higher-rated opponents.

It was Eaglehawk's better use of the ball and depth across the ground that won the day in the end.

The Hawks had 49 more effective kicks and won the disposal count 367-342.

Billy Evans (34 possessions, 19 contested disposals and 11 clearances) was the engine room for the Borough, while Lewin Davis provided the class with 29 touches at 82 per cent efficiency and a couple of goals.

Kobe Lloyd continued his good form with 23 possessions.

Liam Collins had a day out for the Roos with 39 possessions and 12 clearances.

One issue for the Roos is that 12 of their 22 players had less than 12 possessions for the day.

Golden Square 235 d Maryborough 17

A remarkable stats sheet for the Bulldogs as they piled up totals that the English Test cricket team could only dream of.

Square had 498 possessions for the day - 226 more than the Pies - with 366 of those possessions uncontested.

The inside 50 numbers were 82 to just 15, with the Dogs taking an astonishing 42 marks inside 50.

Jayden Burke kicked 10.5 from 20 disposals and 12 marks and Joel Brett bagged 6.2 from 19 touches and 10 marks.

Perhaps the most pleasing sign for the Dogs was the form of developing forwards Braydon Vaz and Tom Strauch.

Vaz had 33 possessions, clunked 14 marks and kicked 5.3, while Strauch picked up 25 touches, took 14 marks and kicked 4.1.

Liam Barrett had the most possessions for the Dogs with 16 kicks and 34 handballs.

Maryborough's stats were dominated by three players - Coby Perry (43 disposals), Liam Latch (33) and Aidan Hare (32).

They combined for 108 possessions - or 42.2 per cent of the Pies' total disposals.

Gisborne 225 d Castlemaine 2

457 disposals to 262, 66 clearances to 27, 78 inside 50s to 17 - it was one-way traffic at Gardiner Reserve.

Much has been made already of Brad Bernacki's outstanding 53 possessions and 24 clearances.

The Gisborne coaching staff would have loved the work rate of young midfielders Seb Bell-Bartels (36 possessions) and Sam Graham (33), while defender Liam Spear had a career-best 30 touches.

At the other end of the ground skipper Pat McKenna had a stunning day - 30 possessions, 20 marks, 14 goals and a league-best 258 ranking points.

His opponent on the day - John Watson - had a team-high 35 possessions, but 20 of those were from kick-ins.

Read more: Stats what I'm talkin' about - round two

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can access our trusted content: