BFNL: Gisborne youngsters shine in big victory over Magpies

With key forward Harry Thomas in superb form, booting seven goals, the Dogs also had Sam Graham and Jake Normington lively inside 50 with three apiece.

The Magpies never stopped trying, but critical mistakes and mis-handling of the football at crucial stages in defence proved costly.

Thomas was a key target all match. He hauled in contested marks, banged home majors on the run and was deadly with a couple of around-the-body snaps.

Bailey Henderson was the only Maine player able to nail a goal in the second half.

He hauled in a great grab 15 metres out and steered home Castlemaine's third and last goal in red time in the third term.

The Bulldogs coasted home to a 21.11 (137) to 3.2 (20) victory with another seven-goal salvo in the final term..

Midfielders Flynn Lakey, Seb Bell-Bartels and Matt Panuccio were the midfielders who got Gisborne going.

After a fairly quiet three-goals-to-one opening term, during which Castlemaine's Tommy Horne drilled the opening major four minutes in, the Dogs got going in the second stanza.

The busy Panuccio got the ball deep into inside 50 and Jake Normington was on target with his shot. Then just after the Magpies' Angus Mayes kicked accurately from the half-forward flank at the pavilion end, Thomas stepped up a gear.

He nailed three goals in quick succession. The first came from a classic around-the-body snap, then he marked on a lead 48 metres out and sank another major, and moments later drilled a long, running shot.

But Thomas was not only busy landing majors. He was involved in a chain of across-the-ground passes which ended up with Bell-Bartels kicking a goal from the half-forward flank.

Dan Davie and Macklan Lord capped off a seven-goal quarter with goals in red time as the Bulldogs went into the long break 52 points ahead.

Even though it seemed the last half would just be a case of playing out time, the Dogs did not slacken their work rate.

A four-majors-to-one third quarter, with Thomas and Sam Graham adding to their personal goal tallies, was finished off with a last quarter which yielded 7.3.

Davie dribbled through his second major of the day, before Bell-Bartels teamed up with Normington for this third goal.

Castlemaine defenders Riley Pedretti, Kaleb McBride and John Watson never stopped running and trying to link up, but the sheer number of attacks launched by Gisborne's pacy midfielders overwhelmed them.

The Bulldogs' Thomas capped off a memorable day snatching a fingertip mark at centre half-forward to drill his seventh goal of the match.

With prolific key forward Pat McKenna and high possession-winner Brad Bernacki still to slot back into the 22, Gisborne's tilt at the premiership is well on target.

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