Knee injury rocks HDFNL power in round of lopsided results

Saad had kicked two early goals against the Hoppers before being helped from the ground with a knee injury.

"It was a marking contest and he fell awkwardly and he did hear a pop, which is not the greatest sign,'' Heathcote coach Andrew Saladino said of Saad.

"We'll wait for scans and we're hoping it's not the worst news. We've got our fingers crossed that it's not an ACL."

Saad arrived at the Saints with big wraps and he'd lived up to them in the first three rounds, including a match-winning performance in round one against Mounts.

His injury on Saturday did little to slow down the premiership favourites against the Hoppers.

After a dour battle in the first half, the Saints kicked 15 goals to one after the main break to win 21.9 (135) to 5.4 (34).

"It was a really good second half,'' Saladino said.

"I thought we were a bit scratchy in the first half, but after half-time the boys really got motoring.

"Credit to Colbo, in the first half they set up well and slowed our run. It was nice to show some maturity and work through it in the second-half."

Full-forward Corey Grindlay kicked seven goals for Heathcote to take his season tally to 19 goals in three games.

Ruckman James Orr gave the Saints first use of the ball and midfielder/forward Braden Padmore returned to his best form with three goals.

Julian Bull, Nathan Basile and Jude Ryan battled hard against the odds for the Hoppers.

A dominant first quarter set up North Bendigo's emphatic 89-point drubbing of Leitchville-Gunbower at Atkins Street.

The Dogs kicked six goals-to-none in the first term on their way to a 21.17 (143) to 7.12 (54) win.

"Everything we asked of the group in the first quarter they executed,'' North Bendigo coach Rob Bennett said.

"We spoke about the last time we played them last year where they really embarrassed us in the contested footy and the physical side of it.

"We set ourselves to match it with them in that area and take it away from them."

Key forwards Dylan Klemm and Jake Dean kicked 10 goals between them for the Dogs, while the midfield group also hit the scoreboard in a pleasing sign for the club.

Aarryn Craig and Ryan Hartley (three goals) were the standout performers for the home side.

"Craig was sensational. I reckon he would have had the ball 40 times,'' Bennett said.

"You know when the ball is in his hands you know he's going to hit a target every time.

"Hartley was really good last week and he was even better this week. He's starting to find the tempo of the league and he can get the ball on the inside and the outside."

Bailey Cain's midfield work, particularly in the first half, was instrumental in the victory.

Jake Hall (knee) was a late omission for the Dogs, but is expected to return for next week's big clash with Heathcote.

After such an encouraging finish to the 2023 season, the Bombers are yet to recapture that form.

Jobee Warde, Jye Keath and Mitchell Candy were their best players.

White Hills scored its largest win over LBU in club history.

The Demons' 20.15 (135) to 4.5 (29) victory surpassed the 96-point win the club had over the Cats in 2015.

"I didn't expect that kind of win,'' White Hills co-coach Jack Fallon said.

"Playing with Brodie and Jess (Collins) and then against them and LBU the last couple of years you know that they show good fight and when you do beat them, you only just win.

"To walk away with a 106 point win was super from the whole group."

Aside from a five-minute patch in the second quarter, Fallon said it was the Demons' first four-quarter effort of the season.

"We did everything right in the second half and that's exactly how we want to play footy this year,'' Fallon said.

"If we can continue to play like that then we're going to be a good footy side.

"We have to keep the group humble, keep driving and focus on everyone playing their role."

Ryan Walker's contested ball work set the foundation for the Demons.

After an injury-interrupted couple of years, half-back Tom Brereton returned to the form he displayed in the BFNL with South Bendigo.

"He was sensational. It's probably the best game I've seen him play at White Hills,'' Fallon said of Brereton.

"His one-on-one work was fantastic and he gave us some great drive. Hopefully, he's over his injuries and we can see the best of him this year."

Co-coach Kaiden Antonowicz bagged six goals for the Demons, while ruckman Jack Lawton continued his strong start to the season.

To rub salt into the Cats' wounds, Jesse Collins left the field with a knee injury.

Bowden Stone, Stuart Taylor and Ben Holman were best for a disappointing Cats' side that slipped to a 1-2 record through three rounds.

Mounts are on the board for 2024 after disposing of Huntly by 104 points at Toolleen.

After showing flashes of their best footy in two tough games to start the season, the Blues put together their first four-quarter effort on their way to a resounding 20.12 (132) to 3.10 (28) win.

"It's nice to get a win on the board,'' Mounts' coach Cameron Carter said.

"We were aware that we'd started well the previous two weeks, but then had some lapses, so there was a focus today to be competitive for four quarters.

"We lost our way a little bit through the middle part of the game, but I thought the boys stuck at it."

Mounts basically had the four points secured by quarter-time after they kicked eight unanswered goals.

Jack Hickman's class through the middle of the ground stood out, while ruckman Chris Down was back to his best and he roamed forward to kick three goals.

Recruit Ben Bisset has had a superb start to his Mounts career. The key forward kicked six goals against the Hawks.

The rebuilding Hawks had some moments against the Blues, but the lack of consistency that comes with young teams hurt Huntly on the scoreboard.

Tori Ferguson, Jackson Fry and Dale Lowry were named best for the Hawks.