BY NATHAN DOLE
Saints survive as Bulldogs end jinx
HEATHCOTE’S season will last at least one more week as North Bendigo ended its jinx in the weekend’s start to the Bendigo Bank Heathcote DFNL senior footy finals series.
On Sunday it was Heathcote and Colbinabbin which fought to stay in the premiership race when they met in the elimination final at Leitchville.
The Saints gained a two-goal lead by quarter-time, but it was Colbinabbin which dominated most of the second term.
As the Grasshoppers scored four goals they kept Heathcote to a goal in term two.
Colbinabbin led by a goal at half-time and then scored 4.3 to 3.3 in the third.
With its season on the line it was the Andrew Saladino-coached Saints who raised the intensity to a much higher level in the last.
The Saints slammed on four goals and kept the green and gold to a goal.
At the final siren Heathcote led 79-71.
Corey Grindlay and Daniel Johnstone led Heathcote’s attack on three goals as co-captain Liam Jacques kicked two.
Colbinabbin’s leading goalkickers were Laine Fitzgerald and captain Will Lowe on two.
Gun ruckman James Orr had another outstanding game to earn best afield honours for the Saints.
Two of the most crucial players in Heathcote’s push for premirship glory in Liam Jacques and Braden Padmore were in top form.
Recruited from South Bendigo, Daniel Johnstone was a strong presence in the forward 50m arc for Heathcote as key defender Lachlan Freeman Taber and the brilliant Corey Grindlay were also among the best.
Will Lowe capped a great season for Colbinabbin by being best along with midfielder Nathan Basile.
Others to star for the Jed Brain-coached Grasshoppers were Logan Fitzgerald, Connor Aldous in defence, Clint Shields and Jude Ryan.
Colbinabbin finished the home-and-away series on an eight-eight record.
Wins against Heathcote, White Hills and North Bendigo in the second half showed the Grasshoppers are a team to reckon with in ’25 and beyond.
Senior finals kicked off with Saturday’s qualifying final between North Bendigo and Leitchville Gunbower at Lockington.
Both clubs were determined to bounce back from disappointing defeats in their most recent finals campaigns.
It was the Shannon Keam-coached Leitchville Gunbower which controlled a lot of the play in the first half.
The Bombers won the first term, 15-13, and then scored three goals and kept the Bulldogs to just the one major in the second.
North Bendigo faced a 14-point deficit going into the long break.
The Bulldogs had nine scoring shots across the third quarter, but were off target as they scored 2.7 and the Bombers added 1.3.
Leitchville Gunbower led 43-39 at the start of the final term.
Inspired by the play of Jordan Ford, Ryan Hartley and Will Gilmore it was the Rob Bennett-coached Bulldogs who won the term, 20-10.
At the final siren North Bendigo led 59-53 and advanced to next Saturday’s second semi-final clash with White Hills at Pigeon Park in Heathcote’s Barrack Reserve.
Key forward Dylan Klemm again led the Bulldogs’ attack on four goals.
The Bombers’ attack was led by Fraser Buchanan on two goals.
North Bendigo’s best included Bailey Cain, Billy Robertson and captain Aarryn Craig.
Jye Keath, Brady Hore, Chris Horman, Joel Donehue, James Brereton and Jobee Warde were Leitchville Gunbower’s best.
The LG line-up earned the double chance and will now face Heathcote in Sunday’s first semi-final at Winslow Constructors Oval in Scott Street, White Hills.
In the reserves competition, Mount Pleasant kept its season running as it won the elimination final against Huntly by 17 points.
Leitchville Gunbower fought on for a 49-44 victory in the reserves qualifying final against Lockington Bamawm United.
The Bombers will now meet White Hills in Sunday’s second semi-final.
North Bendigo marked a winning double in week one of the finals as the under-18s beat Heathcote by 32 points in Sunday’s elimination final.
The Bulldogs will now take on a Huntly line-up on the rebound from a 28-point loss in a a qualifying final clash with Lockington Bamawm United.
The LBU Cats take on White Hills next Sunday with the winner first to the September 7 grand final to be played at Huntly’s Strauch Reserve.
Elimination final scoreboard:
Seniors:
Heathcote 3.4 4.5 7.8 11.13 (79)
Colbinabbin 1.4 5.5 9.8 10.11 (71)
GOALS – Heathcote: Corey Grindlay, Daniel Johnstone 3, Liam Jacques 2, Ed McCarthy, Mitch McLean, Zak Saad. Colbinabbin: Laine Fitzgerald, Will Lowe 2, Jed Brain, Hugh McMurtrie, Charles Ryan, Clint Shields, Patrick Taban, Jordan Wilson.
BEST – Heathcote: James Orr, Liam Jacques, Braden Padmore, Daniel Johnstone, Lachlan Freeman Taber, Corey Grindlay. Colbinabbin: Will Lowe, Nathan Basile, Logan Fitzgerald, Connor Aldous, Clint Shields, Jude Ryan.
Reserves:
Mount Pleasant 3.5 7.7 11.8 14.9 (93)
Huntly 4.0 5.1 8.6 11.10 (76)
GOALS – Mount Pleasant: J.McKenzie 4, J.Nihill 3, J.Smith 2, J O’connell 2, C. Dunlop 1, C.Craig 1, N. Edwards 1. Huntly: Toby Brook 5, Kyle Forster 3, Matthew Jeffries, Rhys Newby, Josh Wright.
BEST – Mount Pleasant: Callum Craig, Jack Mackenzie, Nick Edwards, Coby Dunlop, Jaxson Nihill, Ryan Pontell. Huntly: Matthew Jeffries, Aaron Cowling, Max Edwards, Toby Brook, Bailey Archer, Ben Hilson.
Under-18s:
North Bendigo 1.3 1.3 3.8 8.14 (62)
Heathcote 1.0 2.0 4.0 5.0 (30)
GOALS – North Bendigo: Jett Grundy 3, Oliver Lythgo, Lewis Sims, Archie Stevens, Jimmy Webb, Liam Westerway. Heathcote: Daniel Butler, Mitch Buhagiar, Jack McCarthy, Jack Mifsud, Archer Obst.
BEST – North Bendigo: Jett Grundy, Joey Mizzi, Josiah Bell, Ethan Giddings, Harry Pysing, Liam Westerway. Heathcote: Darcy Murdoch, Thomas Johnson, Daniel Butler, Ryan Foster, Caleb Tobin, Jack McCarthy.
Qualifying final scoreboard:
Seniors:
North Bendigo 2.1 3.2 5.9 8.11 (59)
Leitchville Gunbower 2.3 5.4 6.7 7.11 (53)
GOALS – North Bendigo: Dylan Klemm 4, Jake Dean, Harlan Draper. Ryan Hartley, Hakeem Johnson. Leitchville Gunbower: Fraser Buchanan 2, Joel Donehue, Blake Dye, Zeb Ellwood, Billy Hawken, Noah Hore.
BEST – North Bendigo: Jordan Ford, Ryan Hartley, Will Gilmore, Bailey Cain, Billy Robertson, Aarryn Craig. Leitchville Gunbower: Jye Keath, Brady Hore, Chris Horman, Joel Donehue, James Brereton, Jobee Warde.
Reserves:
Leitchville Gunbower 1.1 4.1 6.3 7.7 (49)
Lockington Bamawm United 1.1 1.5 4.6 6.8 (44)
GOALS – Leitchville Gunbower: Rowan Pollock 3, Sam Cruse, Zac Dye, Dylan Jardine, Joel Woolhouse. Lockington Bamawm United: Kyle Baker, Jeremy Felmingham, Jayden Howe, Bart Phillips, Vincent Ryan, Luke Thompson.
BEST – Leitchville Gunbower: James Kervin, Bryce Barnstable, Tyler Jones, Josh Edgar, Thomas McGillivray, Dylan Jardine. Lockington Bamawm United: Luke Thompson, Kyle Baker, Corey Sidebottom, Matthew Cartwright, Vincent Ryan, Noah Turner.
Under-18s:
Lockington Bamawm United 3.1 4.1 7.3 9.4 (58)
Huntly 1.0 1.2 1.3 4.6 (30)
GOALS – Lockington Bamawm United: Nicholas Mitchell 3, Charlie Mundine 2, James Brentnall, Toby Coutts, Lucas Holgate, Brayden Hull. Huntly: Ben Miller 2, Hunter Connors, Rohan Griffin.
BEST – Lockington Bamawm United: Bowden Stone, Nicholas Mitchell, William Hann, Riley Carr, Cody Betts, Brayden Hull. Huntly: Ben Miller, Daniel Artavilla, Felix Barber, Hunter Connors, Judd Gilchrist, Drew Costigan.
Schedule for Saturday’s second semi-finals at Pigeon Park, Heathcote’s Barrack Reserve:
Under-18s at 9.45am: White Hills v Lockington Bamawm United.
Reserves at 11.50am: White Hills v Leitchville Gunbower.
Seniors at 2.15pm: White Hills v North Bendigo.
Schedule for Sunday’s first semi-finals at Winslow Constructors Oval, Scott Street, White Hills:
Under-18s at 9.45am: Huntly v North Bendigo.
Reserves at 11.50am: Lockington Bamawm United v Mount Pleasant.
Seniors at 2.15pm: Leitchville Gunbower v Heathcote.