GISBORNE ensured Sandhurst’s unbeaten streak would not pass eight in Saturday’s ninth round of the Bendigo Bank Bendigo Football Netball League’s senior footy action.
The Rob Waters-coached Bulldogs dominated the second half of the contest on the Dragons’ turf at Queen Elizabeth Oval to complete a 68-point victory.
Gisborne captain and star forward Pat McKenna kicked six goals and centre half-forward Jack Scanlon added three as the Bulldogs won 17.11 (113) to 6.9 (45).
The Dogs led 27-13 at quarter-time and 3423 by the long break.
Gisborne’s onballers and midfielders won plenty of the ball in the third term and broke the game open.
The Bulldogs doubled their first half score in the third and held the Dragons to 2.2.
It was all Gisborne in the last as it slammed on seven goals to one.
Brad Bernacki racked up plenty of possessions at centre clearances and stoppages to be best afield for the Bulldogs.
McKenna, Sam Graham, Macklan Lord, Ben Eales and key defender Jack Reaper also starred.
In the race for the Ron Best Medal as leading goalkicker, McKenna holds second place on 41 goals.
Gun ruckman Chris Down was Sandhurst’s best along with Lachlan Ross, Liam Ireland, Blair Holmes, Lee Coghlan and Isaac Carracher.
The Ash Connick-coached Dragons head west next Saturday to play Maryborough at Barkers Oval in Princes Park.
Golden Square turned an eight-point deficit at the start of the last quarter into a 28-point victory against Eaglehawk at Fur Life Vet Oval in Wade Street.
The Hawks were desperate to break a run of three consecutive defeats and responded to lead 19-14 at quarter-time and 33-21 by the long break.
The Bulldogs fought back to win the vital third term, 28-24.
It was the Christian Carter-coached Bulldogs who unleashed a last quarter blitz.
Golden Square slammed on eight goals and held the Travis Matheson-coached Hawks to just two majors.
At the final siren the blue and gold led 15.10 (100) to 10.12 (72).
Joel Brett kicked a match-high four goals for Square and his season tally now stands at 33.
Alex Jenkyn and Hamish Morcom added three goals apiece and Jayden Burke chipped in with two.
The Hawks’ leading goalkickers were Jack Dye, three, and Koby Hommelhoff, two.
Bulldogs’ ruckman Matt Compston was best afield and had great support from Morcom, Ryan Hartley, key defender Will Lee, Harrison Burke and Terry Reeves.
Dylan Hanley, Oscar Madden, Gedd Hommelhoff, Billy Evans, Noah Wheeler and Sam Harper were the Borough’s best.
Kangaroo Flat marked its second victory in three matches.
The Roos hopped to a 51-7 lead by half-time of the clash with Castlemaine at Bendigo Mazda Oval in Kangaroo Flat’s Dower Park.
The Don Moran-coached Castlemaine lifted its workrate dramatically in the second half.
Both teams scored six goals apiece as the Kangaroos won 13.19 (97) to 7.4 (46).
Lachlan Wilson led the Kangaroos’ attack on three goals as talented youngster Jack Barras and captain Nick Lang added two apiece.
Castlemaine’s leading goalkickers were Callum McConachy and Will Moran on two each.
Kyle Symons was best on ground as Wilson, Ben Xiriha, Josh Leersen, Jake Hywood and Nick Lang played well for the James Flaherty-coached Kangaroos.
McConachy, Brodie Byrne, David Stephens, Liam Wilkinson, Declan Slingo and Jackson Hood were Castlemaine’s best.
An 11-goal haul by gun forward Kaiden Antonowicz earned best on ground honours as South Bendigo scored a 134-point victory at Maryborough’s Barkers Oval in Princes Park.
The Bloods led 31-10 at quarter-time and then slammed on 7.5 to a goal in the second term.
Although the Bloods led by 62 points at the long break there was no let-up from the Nathan Horbury-coached South Bendigo.
Desperate to improve its percentage, South Bendigo scored 12.7 to a goal in the second half to complete a 24.13 (157) to 3.5 (23) victory.
A Ron Best medallist as the league’s leading goalkicker in 2018, Antonowicz was South’s key target against the Magpies.
The highly-talented forward lifted his season tally to 39 goals and had great support from Alexander Smith-Ralph, four goals; Michael Herlihy, three; and Brock Harvey, two.
Maryborough’s goalkickers were Matt Bilton, Kya Lanfranchi and Tom Gardam.
The Bloods’ best were Antonowicz, Brody Haddow, Smith-Ralph, Cooper Leon, Sam Maher and Herlihy.
On a tough afternoon, Bilton, Jayden Hooper, Bailey Edwards, Brady Neill, Lanfranchi and Mitch Kennedy were best for the Justin Abrams-coached Magpies.
The round was completed under the Triple M Park lights in Strathfieldsaye’s Tannery Lane on Saturday when Storm faced Kyneton.
Strathfieldsaye led 33-6 at quarter-time and had gained a 46-point lead by the long break.
A Storm attack led by Cooper Jones, six goals and Lachlan Sharp, five, capitalised on plenty of chances in an 18.18 (126) to 4.5 (29) victory.
Ryan Pretty kicked two goals for the Tigers.
A dual winner of the Ron Best Medal, Sharp leads the race on 51.
The in-form Caleb Sheahan was best afield as Jones, Lachlan Ratcliffe, Baxter Slater, Hunter Lawrence and Callum McCarty starred for Storm.
Louis Phillips, Will Daly, James Gaff, Rhys Magin, Tom O’Sullivan and Pretty were best for the Paul Chapman-coached Tigers.
Bendigo FNL senior footy ladder:
Sandhurst 171 per cent, 32 points; Gisborne 222, 28; Strathfieldsaye 220, 28; Golden Square 172, 28; South Bendigo 136, 24; Eaglehawk 160, 16; Kyneton 70, 12; Kangaroo Flat 45, 8; Maryborough 49, 4; Castlemaine 16, 0.
Match of the day in next Saturday’s 10th round will be at Triple M Park in Tannery Lane where the Darryl Wilson and Shannon Geary-coached Strathfieldsaye takes on Gisborne.
Maryborough is back at Barkers Oval to face a Sandhurst line-up on the rebound from defeat.
Kangaroo Flat has home-ground advantage at Bendigo Mazda Oval against an Eaglehawk team desperate to end its winless run.
South Bendigo plays Castlemaine at Queen Elizabeth Oval.
Golden Square and Kyneton clash on the Bulldogs’ patch at Fur Life Vet Oval in Wade Street.
Written by Nathan Dole.