-By Nathan Dole
THERE are many animals represented across the Bendigo Junior Football League this season.
Bulldogs, Cats, Dragons, Eagles, Hawks, Kangaroos, Magpies, Panthers, Sharks, Tigers all feature as club mascots.
There were also the Bloods, Blues, Bombers, Demons, Saints and Storm in action across the weekend’s grading games or matches for premiership points.
Round one in the under-12 Girls premiership season kicked off Anzac Day at Mercy Junortoun Sporst Precinct and at White Hills.
Golden Square won a closely-fought match with Rochester by two goals on O’Keefe Oval in the Mercy precinct.
Mount Pleasant won its showdown with Marong on nearby Quinn Oval by nine goals.
Other winners in the first round of the under-12 Girls matches were White Hills, St Francis Green and St Therese’s.
Grading matches for under-12 Mixed, under-14 Mixed, under-15 Girls, and under-16 Boys were played in a huge start to the league’s season.
There were many high-scoring matches.
Maiden Gully YCW’s Dayne Stone kicked nine goals in a best on ground feat against North Bendigo in the under-14 match in the Eagles’ nest t Marist College.
Knox Westley finished with eight goals for Sandhurst A in the under-14 match against Castlemaine at Bendigo’s Ewing Park.
Perry Westley kicked eight goals for St Therese’s in the under-12 Girls match against South Bendigo Red.
Charlee Lampard finished with five goals for Mount Pleasant in the under-12 Girls match against Marong.
Strathfieldsaye (2) hit the 45-goal mark in the under-14 clash with Eaglehawk B on Enterprise Oval in Strathfieldsaye’s Tannery Lane.
Storm’s attack was led by Gus Ritchie, six; Brady McDermott, four; Jimmy Fishley, Zak Garley, Noah Gaul, Declan Hilson and Harvey Young on three each.
Golden Square’s Nate Bishop kicked five goals as the Bulldogs’ number one team took on White Hills Black at Wade Street.
Patterson Murphy finished with five goals for Maiden Gully YCW (1) in the under-14 clash with Rochester played at Marist College.
Strathfieldsaye (1) marked a big win against Eaglehawk A in the under-14s match as Jed Mannix, six goals; Charlie Giddings and Jed Monaghan, five goals, capped off Storm’s attacks.
In the under-12 Mixed grading, Hudson Membrey kicked five goals for Maiden Gully YCW (1) against White Hills Black.
Golden Square’s Lewis Harrington kicked five goals against Castlemaine.
Hser Yu Say Wah booted six goals for South Bendigo (1) in the under-14 clash with Huntly at Harry Trott Oval in Kennington.
In the under-15 Girls grading, Matilda Rose kicked six goals for Kangaroo Flat against Golden Square at Wade Street.
Willow Dellar led Mount Pleasant’s attack on five goals against North Bendigo on Toolleen’s turf.
Phoebe England kicked five goals in Marong’s win against Strathfieldsaye (2) at Jackal Oval in Marong’s Malone Park.
Leading goalkickers across the under-16s grading games were Strathfieldsaye’s Aydan Hand, nine; Golden Square’s Will Hargreaves and South Bendigo’s Max Nicholas, seven; and South Bendigo’s Zavier Ralphs, six.
Players to mark five goals were Sandhurst’s Max Connick, Castlemaine’s Harper Kneebone, Charlie Dickins from White Hills, Strathfieldsaye’s Lucas Sharam, Mannix Grieve and Sam O’Bree, and Sandhurst’s Oscar Suckling.
Results from the weekend’s Bendigo JFL matches:
Under-12 Girls:
White Hills 9.5 (59) d Eaglehawk 0.1 (1), South Bendigo White 0.1 (1) lt St Francis Green 7.11 (53), South Bendigo Red 0.0 (0) lt St Therese’s 14.8 (92), Golden Square 4.3 (27) d Rochester 2.3 (15), Marong Blue 2.1 (13) lt Mount Pleasant 10.7 (67), Marong Yellow bye.
Under-12 Mixed, grading:
Kangaroo Flat 3.1 (19) d St Monica’s 2.5 (17), Marong Blue 10.10 (70) d White Hills Red 0.1 (1), Maiden Gully YCW (3) 6.8 (44) d Golden Square (3) 3.1 (19), Maiden Gully YCW (1) 22.14 (146) d White Hills Black 0.0 (0), South Bendigo (3) 7.5 (47) d Eaglehawk Hawks 3.2 (20), St Francis (2) 4.7 (31) lt Golden Square (2) 5.2 (32), St Kilian’s-St Peter’s 4.3 (27) lt Heathcote 12.5 (77), Golden Square (1) 16.9 (105) d Castlemaine 1.1 (7), Marong Red 23.22 (160) d Strathfieldsaye (2) 0.0 (0), Maiden Gully YCW (2) 4.2 (26) lt St Therese’s (2) 12.5 (77), South Bendigo (2) 2.1 (13) lt Huntly 11.11 (77), St Francis (1) 22.11 (143) d Maryborough 1.1 (7), North Bendigo Red 0.0 (0) lt Eaglehawk Hawks 12.16 (88), South Bendigo (1) 23.17 (155) d Quarry Hill 1.0 (6), St Therese’s (1) 15.14 (104) d Strathfieldsaye 0.1 (1).
Under-14 Mixed, grading:
Sandhurst B 25.24 (174) d South Bendigo (3) 0.0 (0), South Bendigo (1) 23.16 (154) d Huntly 1.2 (8), Maiden Gully YCW (2) 30.22 (202) d North Bendigo 0.2 (2), Strathfieldsaye 4.8 (32) lt White Hills Red 5.12 (42), Golden Square (2) 4.5 (29) lt Marong 14.10 (94), Sandhurst A 27.19 (181) d Castlemaine 1.2 (8), South Bendigo (2) 11.11 (77) d Maryborough 4.8 (32), Strathfieldsaye 45.20 (290) d Eaglehawk B 0.1 (1), Golden Square (1) 22.19 (151) d White Hills Black 1.4 (10), Mount Pleasant 5.8 (38) d Kangaroo Flat A 9.11 (65), Maiden Gully YCW (1) 24.9 (153) d Rochester 3.1 (19), Strathfieldsaye 41.24 (270) d Eaglehawk A 0.0 (0).
Under-15 Girls, grading:
Golden Square (1) 1.1 (7) lt Kangaroo Flat 8.5 (53), Strathfieldsaye (1) 21.13 (139) d White Hills 0.2 (2), Eaglehawk A 4.9 (33) d Sandhurst 4.3 (27), Marong 1.1 (7) lt Rochester 9.10 (64), Mount Pleasant 13.6 (84) d North Bendigo 4.0 (24), Marong A 22.11 (143) d Strathfieldsaye (2) 0.0 (0), Sandhurst 17.11 (113) d Castlemaine 2.3 (15).
Under-16 Boys, grading:
Strathfieldsaye 30.19 (199) d Leitchville Gunbower 0.1 (1), Rochester 7.10 (52) lt Maryborough 9.9 (63), Strathfieldsaye (1) 40.17 (257) d Kangaroo Flat A 0.3 (3), Eaglehawk 3.7 (25) lt Castlemaine 26.13 (169), South Bendigo (2) 18.12 (120) d Kangaroo Flat B 3.3 (21), Sandhurst B 30.20 (200) d Mt Pleasant-Heathcote 0.0 (0), Golden Square (2) 2.6 (18) lt White Hills 13.8 (86), South Bendigo (1) 21.23 (149) d Maiden Gully YCW (1) 0.5 (5), Golden Square (1) 22.17 (149) d Huntly 1.1 (7), Sandhurst A 28.17 (185) d Marong 2.2 (14), Lockington Bamawm United Cats bye.