-By Nathan Dole
A HOT opening quarter set up Colbinabbin’s win against Mount Pleasant in Saturday’s ninth round of senior footy in the Bendigo Bank Heathcote DFNL.
Colbinabbin raced to a 27-8 lead by quarter-time of the clash with the Blues at Colbinabbin’s M.J. Morgan Oval.
The Grasshoppers won the second quarter, 9-8.
Both teams added three goals in the third quarter as the green and gold led 55-36 going into the last.
Defences were well on top in the final quarter.
Mount Pleasant added four behinds as Colbo added one.
At the final siren Colbinabbin led 56-40.
Grasshoppers’ veteran and former coach Nick Knight capped a great match with four goals as Sam Ryan added two.
Mount Pleasant’s leading goalkicker was on-baller Jack Hickman on two.
Best for the Linton Jacobs-coached Colbinabbin were Alex Van Ruiswyk, Connor Aldous, Isaac Carracher, Matt Riordan, Nick Knight and ruckman Julian Bull.
Joey Bell marked his return to the Blues since round four by being best along with ruckman Chris Down, Riley McNamara, captain William Wallace, Jack Hickman and Jesse Tuohey.
The Blues have Josh Hann as playing coach, and Cam Carter as director of coaching.
Mount Pleasant’s other playing co-coach, Adam Baird did not play.
The Harlowe Huntly Hawks are now perched on the ladder’s third rung following a 37-point victory against Heathcote at Pigeon Park in Heathcote’s Barrack Reserve.
The winless Saints took it right up to the Hawks across the first half.
Heathcote won the first quarter, 20-10, but Huntly hit back to score 4.4 as the Saints added 2.4 in the second.
Just two points separated the teams at the long break.
In the third quarter it was Huntly which dominated a lot of the play.
Gun forward Sam Dunstan capped off and set up many attacking moves on his way to a match-high six goals.
A lot of Dunstan’s best play was in the third term where Huntly scored 6.6 and kept Heathcote to a score of 1.3.
A closely-fought final quarter went the Hawks way, 31-29.
At the final siren Huntly celebrated a 111-74 victory.
Sam Dunstan and Lachy Wilson led the Hawks’ attack on six and three goals as Jacob Greenwood added two.
Heathcote’s leading goalkickers Ibrahim Taha and Dylan Johnstone on four and three goals as Zak Saad added two.
Best for the Hamish Morcom-coached Huntly were Sam Dunstan, Mitch Billings, Darby Walsh, Riley Beard, Lachy Wilson and Joseph Violi.
Rhys Bolton, Zak Saad, Ibrahim Taha, Dylan and Daniel Johnstone, and Codie Price were Heathcote’s best.
The Saints are jointly coached by Andrew Saladino and Liam Jacques.
North Bendigo won a low-scoring contest with Leitchville Gunbower at Leitchville.
There were plenty of stoppages across this contest.
Aiming for an eighth consecutive victory, North Bendigo surged to a 19-1 lead by quarter-time.
In the second it was the Bulldogs who added 2.2 as the LG Bombers scored 1.3.
Both line-ups scored 1.2 in the third quarter and a goal apiece in the last.
At the final siren North Bendigo led 48-27.
Darcy Richards was the Bulldogs’ only multiple goalkicker on two.
There were no multiple goalkickers for the Bombers.
Best for North Bendigo were Jordan Ford, Bailey Cain, co-coach Ryan Hartley, Cody Riddick, Callum Tardrew and ruckman Jordan Hargreaves.
The Bulldogs also have dual premiership-winning coach Rob Bennett as non-playing coach.
Leitchville Gunbower’s best were Max Hagan, Will Brereton, Nic Cattapan, Jobee Warde, Jett Keam and Bryce Barnstable.
Lockington Bamawm United turned a 15-point deficit at the start of the final quarter into a 14-point lead by the siren as it took on White Hills at Lockington.
The LBU Cats were under pressure from a spirited Winslow Constructors White Hills Demons line-up.
White Hills led 27-25 at quarter-time and 47-20 by the main break.
An upset was brewing as the Demons scored 3.4 and kept the Cats to a tally of 1.3 in the third quarter.
Inspired by the play of Jack Reiter, Bart and Tyler Phillips, LBU scored six goals in the final term to complete a 111-74 victory.
Bart Phillips and Jack Reiter both kicked four goals as Tyler Phillips added two majors.
The Demons’ Patrick Eefting kicked a match-high seven goals as Jake Thompson chipped in with two majors.
Best for the Jayden Howe-coached LBU Cats included Cody Mann, Jack O’Callaghan and captain Brodie Collins.
The Demons’ best were Patrick Eefting, ruckman Jack Lawton, Jake Dickens, Mitch Dole, Mitch McConnell and Dustin Crawford.
White Hills is jointly coached by Ben Taylor, playing, and Brad McConnell, non-playing.
Elmore had the bye.
The second half of the home-and-away series kicks off next Saturday at 2.30pm.
It’s the clash of the Hawks and Cats as the Harlowe Huntly Hawks face Lockington Bamawm United at Huntly’s Strauch Reserve.
Heathcote will be on home turf at Pigeon Park to take on Mount Pleasant.
Leitchville Gunbower marks its first hit-out at Gunbower this season when it tackles the Winslow Constructors White Hills Demons.
Elmore and North Bendigo meet in the battle of Bloods and Bulldogs at Elmore Recreation Reserve.
Colbinabbin has the bye.
Heathcote DFNL senior footy ladder:
North Bendigo 251 per cent, 32 points; Colbinabbin 189, 24; Huntly 102, 24; Mount Pleasant 159, 20; Leitchville Gunbower 96, 14; Elmore 76, 12; Lockington Bamawm United 73, 12; White Hills 46, 4; Heathcote 58, 2.
Leading goalkickers:
33 Sam Dunstan, Huntly.
30 Mitch Bennett, Mount Pleasant.
26 Brandyn Grenfell, Colbinabbin.
24 Cody Riddick, North Bendigo.
21 Jake Dean, North Bendigo.
19 Dylan Johnstone, Heathcote.
19 Dylan Klemm, North Bendigo.
18 Alex Carr, Colbinabbin.
18 Nick Knight, Colbinabbin.
18 Darcy Richards, North Bendigo.
16 James Harney, Elmore.
16 Brodie-Leonard-Shannon, Mount Pleasant.
14 Zak Saad, Heathcote.
13 Chris Horman, Leitchville Gunbower.
13 Jack Reiter, Lockington Bamawm United.
13 Abe Sladden, Huntly.
12 Billy Hawken, Leitchville Gunbower.
12 Jack Hickman, Mount Pleasant.
12 Lachy Wilson, Huntly.
11 Liam Dillon, North Bendigo.
11 Cohen Kekich, White Hills.
10 Matt O’Dwyer, Elmore.
9 Ryan Hartley, North Bendigo.
9 Jackson Jones, Heathcote.
9 Nathan Kay, Elmore.
9 Thomas Leech, Lockington Bamawm United.