FAVOURITES reigned supreme in all of Saturday’s matches as the Bendigo Bank Heathcote District Football Netball League marked the 17th round of the season.
White Hills bounced back from consecutive defeats which spanned four weeks to win by 79 points against Leitchville Gunbower at Degroot Roof Painting Gunbower Reserve.
Stand-in coach for the second time this season and newly-appointed senior coach for 2022, Jack Fallon marked his first victory.
The Demons were fired up after a 134 point loss at Lockington on July 31, and a 44-point loss at home to Colbinabbin on July 10.
Although far from full-strength because of restrictions on Melbourne-based players, White Hills outgunned the Bombers.
The Demons led 45-2 at quarter-time and 67-17 by half-time.
Led by the play of Doolan Nihill, Rhys Irwin and James Stewart, White Hills slammed on 6.7 to 1.2 in the third.
A positive for Leitchville Gunbower was its effort to score 2.2 to 1.3 in the last.
At the final siren, White Hills led 118 to 39.
Demons’ captain Mitch Dole and Stewart led the attack on four goals as Gavin Bowles and Hamish Richards added two each.
The Bombers’ leading goalkicker was Lee Pollock on two.
Best for White Hills included Billy Nalder, Gavin Bowles and Jake Dickens.
Pollock, Bailey Taylor, Tom Brereton, Ayden Walton, Josh Hawken and Alex Keath were Leitchville Gunbower’s best.
Lockington Bamawm United kept Heathcote goalless on the Cats’ turf at Nichol Trading Oval.
The unbeaten LBU had 13 players kick goals in the 164-7 victory.
The Cats led 77-5 at half-time and did not ease up the pressure.
Thomas Leech booted four goals as Jarod Bacon, Lachlan Collins, Patrick Gardiner and James McPhee added three apiece.
LBU’s best were Joseph Wolfe, Jesse Collins, Ben McPhee, Gardiner, Bart Phillips and Jarod Bacon.
Mitch McLean, Jordan Cavallaro, Brad Morgan, Will Long, Billy Price and Vic Butler worked hard for the Saints.
Colbinabbin was under pressure for most of the first half of its clash with Elmore at M.J. Morgan Reserve in Colbinabbin.
The Grasshoppers led the hardworking Bloods, 39-32 at half-time.
After the long break it was Colbo which took control.
An attack led by Jed Brain, five goals; Nick Knight, four; and Hadleigh Sirett, three, added 18.7 to 5.1 in the second half to win 154 to 63.
Bloods’ coach Dylan Friedberger kicked three goals as Dylan Gordon and James Harney added two each.
Best for the Grasshoppers were Brain, Knight, Maddison Hardiman, Todd Clarke, Lochlan Sirett and Geordie McMurtrie.
Mitch Cricelli, Zack Holmberg, James Harney, Matt Gilmour, Nic Palmer and Joseph Harney were best for the Bloods.
A seven-goal blitz in the second quarter set up North Bendigo’s victory on Huntly’s turf at Specialist Breeders Australia Oval in Strauch Reserve.
The Golden City Cup was up for grabs between the Hawks and Bulldogs.
The Cup showdown harks back to Golden City Football League days when Provincial took on North Bendigo.
In Saturday’s clash, Huntly took it right up to the Bulldogs in the opening term.
North Bendigo led 22-20 at quarter-time and then slammed on 7.1 to a point in the second term to gain a 44-point buffer.
The Bulldogs defence again worked hard to limit the Hawks to a point in the third as the attack added 3.2.
An evenly-fought final quarter ended in a 23-22 win for the Bulldogs on their way to a 108-44 victory.
Dylan Klemm and Zaiyden Richards kicked three goals apiece for North Bendigo as Andrew Bennett, Aarryn Craig, Storm Giri and Shane Harris added two each.
Huntly’s multiple goalkicker was Matt Jeffries on two.
Best for the Bulldogs were the hard-running Tim Deveraux, Manny Thalasinos, Storm Giri, Craig, Richards and Daniel Reid.
Tyler Miles, Jordan Formosa, Jay McDonald, Jaydon Cowling, Kyle Hawken and Jake Maher played well for the Huntly Hawks.
Mount Pleasant had the bye.
Heathcote DFNL senior footy ladder:
Lockington Bamawm United 338 per cent, 54 points; Colbinabbin 184, 42; North Bendigo 137, 42; White Hills 127, 42; Mount Pleasant 118, 34; Huntly 96, 24; Elmore 53, 18; Heathcote 56, 12; Leitchville Gunbower 32, 4.
The 18th and final round of the home and away series will be played next Saturday.
Match of the day is at Colbinabbin’s M.J. Morgan Reserve where the Grasshoppers take on Lockington Bamawm United.
North Bendigo and Leitchville Gunbower meet at Hibo Hotel Oval in North Bendigo’s Atkins Street.
Heathcote tackles Huntly at Pigeon Park in Heathcote’s Barrack Reserve.
Refreshed by a two-week break, Mount Pleasant returns to Toolleen Recreation Reserve to play Elmore.
White Hills has the bye.
Leaders in the HDFNL senior goalkicking race are White Hills star Jed Lamb, 58; Mount Pleasant’s Ben Weightman, 40; LBU’s Jarod Bacon, 38; North Bendigo’s Dylan Klemm, 34; Elmore’s James Harney and LBU’s Thomas Leech, 32; and North Bendigo’s Shane Harris, 28.
Written by Nathan Dole.