BY NATHAN DOLE
Huge winning margins across all four matches
BIG winning margins were marked across all four senior footy matches in Saturday’s third round of the Bendigo Bank Heathcote DFNL season.
Closest margin of the afternoon was 89 points at Bendigo Club Oval in North Bendigo’s Atkins Street where the Bulldogs beat Leitchville Gunbower.
North Bendigo made a flying start to the contest as it scored 6.6 to 0.3 in the first term.
From there the Rob Bennett-coached Bulldogs were in control against the Bombers.
Captain Aarryn Craig and gun recruit Ryan Hartley were in superb touch as they set up plenty of attacks.
The athletic Dylan Klemm kicked six goals to be among the best as Jake Dean added four in a 143-54 victory.
A premiership winner with Golden Square last season, Hartley won plenty of the ball in an on-ball role and also finished with three goals.
Leitchville Gunbower’s attack was led by Chris Horman and Nathan McLellan on two.
The Bulldogs’ best included wingman Bailey Cain, Matt Gray and Nick Waterson.
Jobee Warde, Jye Keath, Mitch Candy, Nathan McLellan, Max Hagan and Josh Hagan were best for the Shannon Keam-coached Bombers.
Gun forward Corey Grindlay kicked seven goals as Heathcote won on Colbinabbin’s turf at M.J. Morgan by 101 points.
A blow for the Saints was a knee injury to explosive forward/on-baller Zak Saad.
It’s been a brilliant start to Saad’s stint after he joined Heathcote from Rupertswood.
Worst-case scenario is a season-ending ACL tear, or he could be back in action in a couple of rounds.
The Andrew Saladino-coached Saints were down 13-20 at quarter-time on the Grasshoppers’ turf.
From there Heathcote lifted its defensive workrate and run.
The Saints scored 19.8 to 2.2 across the next three quarters to claim a 135-34 victory.
Other multiple goalkickers for Heathcote were Braden Padmore and Cooper Webber-Mirkin three; Liam Birch, Bill Direen and Zak Saad on two.
Alex Carr kicked two goals for Colbinabbin.
Best for Heathcote were James Orr, Corey Grindlay, Braden Padmore, Billy Price, Liam Jacques and Mitchell McLean.
Julian Bull, Nathan Basile, Jude Ryan, Connor Aldous, Will Lowe and Charles Ryan played well for the Jed Brain-coached Grasshoppers.
Mount Pleasant marked its first win of the season in a 132-28 result against Huntly at Toolleen.
It was a testing start for the reigning premier as Mounts played Heathcote and White Hills in the opening two weeks.
The Mountain Men made a superb start to the third round clash.
The Cam Carter-coached Mounts led 51-1 at quarter-time.
The Harlowe Huntly Hawks struck back to score 2.4 to 3.2 in the second term.
Led by the play of Jack Hickman, captain Chris Down and key forward Ben Bisset, Mount Pleasant won the second half, 61-11.
Bisset kicked six goals as Down and Christian Hatzis chipped in with three each.
Best for the Blues included Caelan Smith, Jack Mackenzie and Fletcher White.
Tori Ferguson, Jackson Fry, Dale Lowry, Brodie Fry and Flynn Campbell were best for the Hamish Morcom-coached Hawks.
Lockington Bamawm United could not halt a rampant White Hills at Lockington’s Nichol Trading Oval.
The red-hot Demons won 135-29 as co-coach Kaiden Antonowicz kicked six goals and Liam Bartels added four.
Other multiple goalkickers for the red and black were Cohen Kekich and Jake Miller on three.
There were limited opportunities for the LBU attack in which Antony McMahon kicked two goals.
Best for the Demons who have Jack Fallon as co-coach were Ryan Walker, Tom Brereton, Jack Lawton, Jake Pallpratt, Antonowicz and Patrick Eefting.
A highlight for White Hills was the play of Tom Brereton who after a couple of injury-riddled seasons is back winning plenty of the footy and setting up plenty of attacks.
On a tough afternoon for the Stacy Fiske-coached Cats it was Bowden Stone, Stuart Taylor, Ben Holman, Thomas Leech, Kyle Baker and Joseph Wolfe who were best.
Elmore had the bye.
Heathcote DFNL senior footy ladder:
White Hills 238 per cent, 12 points; Heathcote 231, 12; North Bendigo 218, 8; Mount Pleasant 118, 4; Colbinabbin 85, 4; Leitchville Gunbower 58, 4; Lockington Bamawm United 54, 4; Elmore 45, 0; Huntly 34, 0.
Match of the day in next Saturday’s fourth round will be Heathcote against North Bendigo on the Saints’ turf at Pigeon Park in Barrack Reserve.
White Hills will be at home at Scott Street to take on Colbinabbin.
It’s the clash of the Hawks and Cats as the Harlowe Huntly Hawks tackle Lockington Bamawam United at Huntly’s Strauch Reserve.
Leitchville-Gunbower faces Elmore at Gunbower.
Mount Pleasant has the bye.
Leading goalkickers:
19 Corey Grindlay, Heathcote.
10 Kaiden Antonowicz, White Hills.
10 Alex Carr, Colbinabbin.
10 Dylan Klemm, North Bendigo.
10 Zak Saad, Heathcote.
9 Liam Bartels, White Hills.
8 Anthony McMahon, Lockington Bamawm United.
7 Ben Bisset, Mount Pleasant.
7 James Harney, Elmore.
7 Cohen Kekich, White Hills.
6 Christian Hatzis, Mount Pleasant.
6 Stuart Taylor, Lockington Bamawm United.
5 Liam Birch, Heathcote.
5 James Davies, White Hills.
5 Jake Dean, North Bendigo.
5 Chris Horman, Leitchville Gunbower.
5 Jake Miller, White Hills.
5 Cooper Webber-Mirkin, Heathcote.
4 Jed Brain, Colbinabbin.
4 Chris Down, Mount Pleasant.
4 Ryan Hartley, North Bendigo.
4 Thomas Leech, Lockington Bamawm United.
PHOTO – Mount Pleasant FNC