Colbinabbin wins hard-fought contest with Saints
COLBINABBIN had to dig deep to score a fighting victory against Heathcote in Saturday’s 14th round of the Bendigo Bank Heathcote District Football Netball League’s senior footy action.
The Grasshoppers were down by margins of 12, two and two points at each quarter break of a great contest at Colbinabbin’s M.J. Morgan Reserve.
Colbinabbin was hot favourite in this match, but the Andrew Saladino-coached Saints marked one of their best matches of the season.
The Julian Bull-coached Grasshoppers scored 4.2 to 2.4 in the final term to complete a 64-56 victory.
Vice-captain Stephen Tuohey led the attack on three goals as Michael Battista added two.
The in-form Shaun Harrison and Braden Padmore booted three goals each for Heathcote.
Best for Colbinabbin were Matt Riordan, Lachlan Ezard, Logan Fitzgerald, Darcy Brown, Michael Battista and Stephen Tuohey.
Braden Padmore, Shaun Harrison, Will Direen, Will Long, Jackson Conforti and Kai Cavallaro played well for the Saints.
Another great match was played at Elmore where the Bloods took on White Hills.
It was must-win for White Hills to keep the heat on the fifth-placed Heathcote.
The Demons won the opening three quarters by margins of 12, four and four points to lead 75-55 at the start of the final term.
Elmore lifted to win the last quarter, 23-16, but it was the Demons who marked an important 91-78 victory.
Liam Bartels booted four goals for White Hills as Matt Sawyer chipped in with three.
The Bloods’ attack was again led by Darcy Laffy on six as Matt Nettlefold added three.
A veteran of 250-plus games for White Hills, David Wright is still going strong as he earned best afield honours.
Ben Bacon, Jake Dickens, Mitch Dole, James Davies and Bayden Fallon were also among the best for the Jack Fallon-coached White Hills.
The Bloods’ best were Matt Nettlefold, co-coach Dylan Gordon, Mattia Curry, Tyler Amor Beale, Darcy and Zac Laffy.
Mount Pleasant showed it can dominate a match without gun forward Ben Weightman as it scored a 137-43 win against Huntly at Toolleen.
The Blues were again without their classy forward-onballer for the clash with the Hawks.
This round it was Zac Featherby who stepped up to lead the Mounts attack on six goals as Jesse Tuohey and Fletcher White added three each.
The Stacy Fiske-coached Huntly had six goalkickers.
Jesse Tuohey, Chris Down, Sam Greene, Bryce Hinneberg, Zac Featherby and Riley McNamara were best for the Blues.
A bonus for Mounts was the on-field return of Adam Baird who is co-coach with Darren Walsh.
Huntly’s best were Tyler Miles, Jayden Cordy, Mitch Christensen, Jaydon Cowling, Jay McDonald and Orion Downing.
North Bendigo was under the pump from Leitchville-Gunbower in the first half at Atkins Street’s Hibo Hotel Oval.
The Tim Bannan-coached Bombers showed plenty of pace and skill as they scored 8.5 to 8.7 in the first hour.
North Bendigo then turned up the heat in the third term.
The Robert Bennett-coached Bulldogs slammed on 9.6 to a point in that quarter and then added 6.8 to 3.1 in the last to mark a 159-73 victory.
North Bendigo’s attack was led by Dylan Klemm, eight; Matt Gray, four; and Jordan Ford, three.
Nathan Anderson kicked two goals in his senior debut for the red, white and blue.
Leading goalkickers for the Bombers were Nathan McLellan and Joel Regan on three each.
Bulldogs’ wingman Nic Waterson was best afield as Dylan Klemm, ruckman Jeremy Lambden, running half-back Tim Devereaux, on-baller Manny Thalasinos, and Storm Giri were best.
Mitchell Candy, Jobee Warde, Matt and Nathan McLellan, Billy Hawken and Xavier Colvin played well for the Bombers.
Heathcote DFNL senior footy ladder:
Lockington Bamawm United 217 per cent, 44 points; Mount Pleasant 186, 44; Colbinabbin 180, 42; North Bendigo 146, 38; Heathcote 82, 20; White Hills 77, 20; Elmore 62, 8; Huntly 58, 4; Leitchville-Gunbower 40, 4.
Leading goalkickers:
54 Ben Weightman, MP.
44 Dylan Klemm, NB.
37 James Brain, Colbo.
33 Darcy Laffy, Elm.
29 Liam Bartels, WH; Jed Brain, Colbo.
28 Anthony McMahon, LBU.
27 Matt Gray, NB; Thomas Leech, LBU.
26 Braden Padmore, H’cote.
24 Ben Fulford, LBU.
22 Mitchell Bennett, MP.
21 Rhys Woodland, LBU.
20 Jack Brooks, H’cote; Jordan Ford, NB.
19 Jarod Bacon, LBU; Kai Cavallaro, H’cote; Billy Hawken, LG; Hakeem Johnson, NB; Stephen Tuohey, Colbo.
18 Dean Tydell, MP.
16 Blake Azzopardi, LG; Jackson Conforti, H’cote; Laine Fitzgerald, Colbo.
15 Luke Gray, Huntly; Tyler Phillips, LBU.
It’s first against second as Lockington Bamawm United and Mount Pleasant meet in Saturday’s round 15 clash at Lockington.
Heathcote and Elmore clash at Heathcote’s Barrack Reserve.
Huntly tackles North Bendigo in the Hawks’ nest at Strauch Reserve.
Leitchville-Gunbower meets Colbinabbin at Leitchville.
White Hills has the bye.
Written by Nathan Dole.
