BY NATHAN DOLE
Heathcote’s season over as match abandoned
HEATHCOTE’S run at the Bendigo Bank Heathcote DFNL senior footy premiership was cut short in gut-churning circumstances on Sunday.
Down by two points at the 13-minute mark of the third quarter, Heathcote’s season was ended when league officials decided to abandon the first semi-final at White Hills.
It had been a terrific contest between Leitchville Gunbower and Heathcote at Winslow Constructors Oval in Scott Street.
A place in the preliminary final against North Bendigo was at stake.
Lightning and the condition of the ground following hail and heavy rain at half-time meant league officials decided to abandon the match.
It was a scenario that officials, umpires, coaches, players and fans did not want.
HDFNL operations manager Jan Mannes said player safety was paramount.
Leitchville Gunbower led 7.8 (50) to 7.6 (48) when the game was called off.
Play had been halted in the second quarter after a flash of lightning.
The Bombers held a nine-point buffer going into what was an extended half-time break because of the heavy rain which lashed the ground.
Heathcote scored two of the three goals in the third quarter before the decision was made to abandon the contest.
It was not the way Leitchville Gunbower wanted to progress, but it does and will now focus on the preliminary final to be played at Toolleen next Saturday.
The Bombers’ attack in the first semi-final was led by Zeb Ellwood and Billy Hawken on two goals.
Rhys Bolton and Zak Saad booted two goals for the Saints.
Just days after claiming the Sam Cheatley Medal as league fairest and best, Leitchville Gunbower Jobee Warde led the way along with Josh Hawken and Xavier Colvin.
Best for Heathcote were Zak Saad, Connor Hamilton, Rhys Bolton and Rylie Merkel.
The Shannon Keam-coached Bombers take on a North Bendigo team determined to strike back after a 64-point thrashing from White Hills in the second semi-final.
For the Andrew Saladino-coached Heathcote it was a bitterly disappointing way for the season to end.
Saladino said the experience would be used to galvanise the playing group for next season and beyond.
As Heathcote ponders what may have been, White Hills is a win away from ending its premiership drought.
Despite an extended break because of the round 18 bye and finishing on top of the ladder, White Hills made a hot start to Saturday’s second semi against North Bendigo at Pigeon Park in Heathcote’s Barrack Reserve.
The Demons slammed on 6.6 in the opening term as Cohen Kekich and Mitch Walsh kicked two goals apiece and co-coach Kaiden Antonowicz and Thomas Brereton were also on target.
North Bendigo’s goals were kicked by Dylan Klemm and Bailey Cain.
The Demons were up by more than seven goals when Kekich and Ben Taylor capped their team’s great play through midfield.
North Bendigo hit back with goals by Klemm in the 12th minute and a Hakeem Johnson snap a few minutes later to cut the deficit to 31 points.
Hopes of a Bulldogs revival were quickly quashed when Jack Lawton goaled after a downfield free.
Excellent work by Mitch Dole who started an attack from half-back and followed up with four efforts through midfield was capped with a Jake Dickens goal.
Bulldogs’ young gun Will Gilmore kicked a superb goal from beyond the 50m arc.
By half-time White Hills led 69-33.
The heat from the Demons did not let up.
White Hills slammed on six goals in the third.
The run was started by Antonowicz and was followed by Ben Taylor, Mitch Dole and James Davies.
A bouncing shot from Antonowicz on an acute angle was one of the goals of the day.
When Kekich kicked his fourth the Demons led 110-34 going into the last quarter.
The Rob Bennett-coached North Bendigo fought the game out and won the term, 32-20.
Among the positives for the Bulldogs were the play of Cody Riddick to kick two goals, and another major by midfielder Bailey Cain.
Pat Bogers and triple premiership player Jordan Ford were also on target for the Bulldogs.
As the final siren sounded White Hills led 130-66.
On a day where so many contributed it was Ben Taylor, Liam Bartels, Kaiden Antonowicz, Callum Crisp, Thomas Brereton and Jack Lawton who were best for a White Hills team which also has Jack Fallon as playing co-coach.
North Bendigo’s best were Bailey Cain, Cody Riddick, Will Gilmore, Ryan Hartley, Lucas Keating and Jordan Quirk.
The Demons will now await the winner of the preliminary final between North Bendigo and Leitchville Gunbower match to determine who advances to the September 7 grand final in Huntly.
In the reserves competition, White Hills won the second semi-final against Leitchville Gunbower by a point.
Despite its inaccuracy, White Hills was able to clinch a 50-49 victory against the Bombers.
The LG line-up led 27-13 at half-time, but the Demons fought back strongly to score 3.4 to 1.2 in the third as scores were 35-all at a quarter to play.
Aaron Schofield led the White Hills attack on two goals as Kaiden Skelton, Joe Gardy and Hamish Richards were best in one of the games of the weekend.
Best for the Bombers were Zac Dye, Thomas McGillivray and James Kervin.
A five-goal haul by Jack Mackenzie earned best on ground honours as Mount Pleasant fought on for a 66-63 victory in the reserves first semi-final against Lockington Bamawm United.
The LBU Cats led 37-25 at half-time, but the Blues worked hard to cut the deficit to just three points going into the final quarter.
Bart Phillips kicked a team-high three goals for the the LBU Cats, but it was Mounts which kept premiership hopes alive.
Mackenzie, Nick Edwards and Coby Dunlop were best in a memorable win for the Blues’ ‘twos’.
Lockington Bamawm United’s best were Luke Thompson, Thomas Douglas and Bart Phillips.
White Hills won the under-18s second semi-final against Lockington Bamwm United by seven goals.
The Demons won 50-8 as Isaac Meersbergen, O’Malley Parker and Patrick Conlan were best for the red and black.
Best for the LBU Cats were Harrison Keele, Jacob Haines and Patrick Keele.
LBU will now take on Huntly in the preliminary final.
The Harlowe Huntly Hawks unleashed a last quarter blitz of 5.5 to beat North Bendigo by 29 points in the under-18s first semi-final.
Chasing back-to-back premierships, North Bendigo led 24-22 at three quarter-time.
Inspired by the play of Deacon Wheelhouse, Kye Fitzpatrick and Judd Gilchrist, Huntly could not be stopped in the final term as it kicked away for a 61-32 victory.
Best for the Bulldogs were Ethan Giddings, Lars Poyser and Jett Grundy.
First semi-final scoreboard:
Seniors:
Leitchville Gunbower 7.8 (50) d Heathcote 7.6 (48)
Match abandoned at 13-minute mark of third quarter because of player safety concerns.
GOALS – Leitchville Gunbower: Zeb Ellwood, Billy Hawken 2, Tom Brereton, Fraser Buchanan, Blake Dye. Heathcote: Rhys Bolton, Zak Saad 2, Jackson Conforti, Daniel Johnstone, Billy Price.
BEST – Leitchville Gunbower: Jobee Warde, Josh Hawken, Xavier Colvin, Zeb Ellwood, Brady Hore, Will Brereton. Heathcote: Zak Saad, Connor Hamilton, Rhys Bolton, Rylie Merkel, Liam Jacques, Joseph Beedle.
Reserves:
Mount Pleasant 2.1 4.1 7.5 10.6 (66)
Lockington Bamawm United 5.1 6.1 8.2 10.3 (63)
GOALS – Mount Pleasant: Jack Mackenzie 5, Jesse O’Connell 3, Dylan Barber, Harvey Sims. Lockington Bamawm United: Bart Phillips 3, Shaun Trice, James Yosiffidis 2, Jayden Howe, Corey Sidebottom, Sam Wolfe.
BEST – Mount Pleasant: Jack Mackenzie, Nick Edwards, Coby Dunlop, Callum Craig, Harvey Sims, Oliver McCooke. Lockington Bamawm United: Luke Thompson, Thomas Douglas, Bart Phillips, Sam Wolfe, Corey Sidebottom, James Yosiffidis.
Under-18s:
Huntly 0.1 2.1 3.4 8.13 (61)
North Bendigo 1.1 1.2 3.6 4.8 (32)
GOALS – Huntly: Drew Costigan, Rohan Griffin, Lachlan Wilson 2, Judd Gilchrist, Evan McAuley. North Bendigo: Oscar Farrelly, Jett Grundy, Oliver Lythgo, Joey Mizzi.
BEST – Huntly: Deacon Wheelhouse, Kye Fitzpatrick, Judd Gilchrist, Ben Miller, Jack Cook. North Bendigo: Ethan Giddings, Lars Poyser, Jett Grundy, Josiah Bell, Harry Pysing, Archie Stevens.
Second semi-final scoreboard:
Seniors:
White Hills 6.7 10.9 16.14 19.16 (130)
North Bendigo 2.0 5.3 5.4 10.6 (66)
GOALS – White Hills: Kaiden Antonowicz, Cohen Kekich 4, Ben Taylor, Mitch Walsh 2, Liam Bartels, Thomas Brereton, James Davies, Jake Dickens, Mitch Dole, Jack Lawton, Nicholas Warnock. North Bendigo: Bailey Cain, Dylan Klemm, Cody Riddick 2, Pat Bogers, Jordan Ford, Will Gilmore, Hakeem Johnson.
BEST – White Hills: Ben Taylor, Liam Bartels, Kaiden Antonowicz, Callum Crisp, Thomas Brereton, Jack Lawton. North Bendigo: Bailey Cain, Cody Riddick, Will Gilmore, Ryan Hartley, Lucas Keating, Jordan Quirk.
Reserves:
White Hills 1.4 1.7 4.11 6.14 (50)
Leitchville Gunbower 0.3 4.3 5.5 7.7 (49)
GOALS – White Hills: Aaron Schofield 2, Trent McGough, Hamish Richards, Harry Sheilds, Nicholas Wharton. Leitchville Gunbower: Zachary Dye, Bailey Taylor 2, Tyler Jones, James Kervin.
BEST – White Hills: Kaiden Skelton, Joe Gardy, Hamish Richards, James Avery, Blake Hogan, Harry Sheilds. Leitchville Gunbower: Zachary Dye, Thomas McGillivray, James Kervin, Bailey Taylor, Sean Hay, Joseph Brown.
Under-18s:
White Hills 7.8 (50) d Lockington Bamawm United 1.2 (8).
GOALS – White Hills: Patrick Conlan 2, Tamba Basha, Oliver Edmiston, Kalan Hand, Ben Master, Max Miller. Lockington Bamawm United: Nicholas Mitchell.
BEST – White Hills: Isaac Meersbergen, O’Malley Parker, Patrick Conlan, Jackson McRae, Oliver Edmiston, Nicholas Santas. Lockington Bamawm United: Harrison Keele, Jacob Haines, Patrick Keele, Eddie Dudley, Bowden Stone, Lucas Holgate.
Schedule for Saturday’s preliminary finals at Toolleen:
Under-18s at 9.45am: Lockington Bamawm United v Huntly.
Reserves at 11.50am: Leitchville Gunbower v Mount Pleasant.
Seniors at 2.15pm: North Bendigo v Leitchville Gunbower.
Grand final day on September 7 at Huntly’s Strauch Reserve will feature White Hills in all three levels of footy.