BY NATHAN DOLE
Saints strive to break Dogs’ hoodoo
HEATHCOTE will be striving to prove number 13 can be lucky by breaking North Bendigo’s winning streak against it in Saturday’s 13th round of the Bendigo Bank Heathcote DFNL senior footy action.
It’s a massive task for the Saints on North Bendigo’s turf at Bendigo Club Oval in Atkins Street.
The showdown between second and fourth starts at 2.15pm.
North Bendigo has achieved a win-loss record of nine-one and is up against an opponent which is six-five and dropped from the top three.
When these clubs met in round four it was the Rob Bennett-coached Bulldogs who charged to a 126-65 victory on the Saints’ ground at Pigeon Park in Barrack Reserve.
Refreshed by the bye, North Bendigo will be determined to not let standards slip as it faces the ladder-leading White Hills next round.
Athletic forward Dylan Klemm looms as a tough match-up for the Saints.
A striking charge against Klemm in the match against Elmore was withdrawn by the MRP before this week’s tribunal hearing.
Klemm is a key figure in an attack that includes Jake Dean, Jordan Ford and Sam Barnes.
Massive test for Bulldogs’ ruckman Aidan Brohm against the in-form James Orr.
At ground level North Bendigo has Ryan Hartley, Tyson Findlay, Nathan Newlan and Nic Waterson.
A key for the Andrew Saladino-coached Saints will be their work at stoppages and quick transition from half-back to attack.
Corey Grindlay starred in last year’s match at North Bendigo and has the pace and marking power to test any defence.
The Saints will also look to the dare and dash of co-captain Codie Price off half-back, Braden Padmore in the centre, Rhys Bolton, Joseph Beedle and Jackson Conforti.
Huge test in defence for the likes of Bill Direen, Ben Connelly and Lachlan Freeman Taber.
Another upset win at home would put Colbinabbin back in the five.
The Jed Brain-coached Colbinabbin takes on the Winslow White Hills Demons at M.J. Morgan Oval.
In the past three rounds Colbinabbin has beaten Heathcote, lost to Leitchville Gunbower by a goal, and then beat Elmore by 57 points.
The Grasshoppers face a huge task against the Demons who won the round four showdown by 12 goals.
Key players for Colbinabbin include Jai Carn, Aidan Basile, Alex Carr, Julian Bull, Will Lowe and Clint Shields.
Grasshoppers defenders Hugh McMurtrie, Nick Knight, Connor Aldous and Angus Martin will be up against Jack Lawton, Kaiden Antonowicz, Mitch Dole and Nick Warnock.
A Demons line-up jointly coached by Jack Fallon and Kaiden Antonowicz is in great form.
Goalkicking accuracy will be a focus after a score of 11.20 in last Saturday’s 23-point win against Harlowe Huntly Hawks.
Players to watch in the red and black include Callum Crisp, Alex Davis, Rhys Irwin and Cohen Kekich.
It’s the Cats against the Hawks as Lockington Bamawm United faces Huntly at Lockington’s Nichol Trading Oval.
The Stacy Fiske-coached LBU will be desperate to end a six-match losing streak.
The Cats showed what they are capable of when they beat Mount Pleasant by six goals in round five.
There’s also the memory of a 34-point loss at Huntly to spur LBU on.
Players to watch for the Cats include Brodie and Jesse Collins, Tyler Phillips, Matt Hore, Stuart Taylor, Thomas Leech and Elijah Bruns.
Huntly put in a great effort to be up by two goals at three quarter-time of last Saturday’s match at White Hills.
The Hawks were overrun in the last as the Demons won the quarter, 36-1.
It’s been a much-improved season by Huntly which has Hamish Morcom as first-year coach.
Key players in the brown and gold include Lachy Wilson, Jackson Fry, Harry Whittle, Tori Ferguson, Jacob Greenwood, Lachlan Brook and Abe Sladden.
Elmore is back at home to take on Leitchville Gunbower.
Big test for the Nathan Kay-coached Bloods against the third-placed Bombers.
Elmore will need big games from the likes of James and Joseph Harney, Rhys and Zack Holmberg, Daniel Russell, Cobi Fitzpatrick and Connor Walsh to keep the heat on LG in every quarter.
The Shannon Keam-coached Bombers have won four of their past six matches.
Defeats in that run were to White Hills and North Bendigo.
A talented Bombers’ line-up includes Caleb Hislop, Fraser Buchanan, Thomas Guerra, Tom Brereton, Joel Donehue, Brady Hore, Jobee Warde and Billy Hawken.
Mount Pleasant has the bye.
Heathcote DFNL senior footy ladder:
White Hills 200 per cent, 40 points; North Bendigo 181, 36; Leitchville Gunbower 96, 28; Heathcote 117, 24; Mount Pleasant 119, 20; Colbinabbin 90, 20; Huntly 64, 12; Lockington Bamawm United 65, 8; Elmore 46, 4.
Leading goalkickers:
44 Kaiden Antonowicz, White Hills.
43 Corey Grindlay, Heathcote.
39 Dylan Klemm, North Bendigo.
35 James Harney, Elmore.
29 Liam Bartels, White Hills.
27 Alex Carr, Colbinabbin.
24 Ben Bisset, Mount Pleasant.
23 Jake Dean, North Bendigo.
23 Anthony McMahon, Lockington Bamawm United.
22 James Davies, White Hills.
20 Cohen Kekich, White Hills.
18 Sam Barnes, North Bendigo.
18 Mitch Bennett, Mount Pleasant.
18 Lachy Wilson, Huntly.
17 Fraser Buchanan, Leitchville Gunbower.
17 Clint Shields, Colbinabbin.
16 Mitch Dole, White Hills.
16 Thomas Leech, Lockington Bamawm United.
15 Jordan Ford, North Bendigo.
14 Chris Horman, Leitchville Gunbower.
14 Mitch Rovers, Mount Pleasant.
12 Billy Hawken, Leitchville Gunbower.
12 Jack Hickman, Mount Pleasant.
12 Caleb Hislop, Leitchville Gunbower.
12 Jaxson Nihill, Mount Pleasant.
12 Ben Taylor, White Hills.
11 Liam Birch, Heathcote.
11 Jed Brain, Colbinabbin.
11 Nathan Kay, Elmore.
11 Cooper Webber-Mirkin, Heathcote.
11 Jordan Wilson, Colbinabbin.
10 Hakeem Johnson, North Bendigo.
10 Zak Saad, Heathcote.