BY NATHAN DOLE
Panthers again lead pack in premiership pursuit
THE Marong Panthers again lead the pack chasing premiership glory in the Bendigo Bank Loddon Valley FNL senior footy action.
Marong boasts the best sequence of wins in country Victoria as the LVFNL takes a break for the King’s Birthday holiday weekend.
Unbeaten premiers in ’23, Marong has won all seven matches this season as it chases a hat-trick of premierships.
Biggest challengers to Marong’s reign are likely to be from Pyramid Hill and Bridgewater.
The Linton Jacobs-coached Marong won both showdowns with the Bulldogs and Mean Machine by eight and 56 points in the first half of the season.
The form of Bears-Lagoon Serpentine to be second has surprised many league followers.
As the season rolls on, Bears and Bridgewater fans can marvel at the goalkicking feats of Josh Mellington and Lachlan Sharp.
Both have excelled in their first seasons at their respective clubs.
Mellington has kicked 87 goals and the league record of 143 in a home-and-away series set by Marong’s Brandyn Grenfell in 2022.
A multiple premiership winner and Ron Best medallist as leading goalkicker in his time with Strathfieldsaye in the Bendigo FNL, Sharp has kicked 61 goals for the Mean Machine.
The Rick Ladson-coached Bridgewater marked several recruiting coups last summer.
Among them was gaining Strathfieldsaye’s Lachlan Sharp, Harry Conway, Jack Neylon and Joe Mayes, and Lee Coghlan returning to where his career began after a great stint at Sandhurst which included a premiership and Michelsen Medal.
A first-year coach at Bears-Lagoon Serpentine, Jake Wilkinson has the team playing great football.
The Bears will have learnt a lot from losses against Marong and Bridgewater.
It’s a tough two-week stretch the BLS line-up will face again in rounds 13 and 14.
Inglewood holds fifth place, but is only a win clear of Newbridge.
The Blues and Maroons are on 66 per cent.
Inglewood kicks off the second half of the home-and-away series by playing Marong, Bears-Lagoon Serpentine and Bridgewater.
The Fergus Payne-coached Blues travel to Newbridge’s turf at Walker’s Doughnuts Riverside Oval in the 13th round.
Marong – 7-0, 338 per cent, 28 points.
Run home: Inglewood, h; Mitiamo, a; Newbridge, h; Pyramid Hill, a; Bears-Lagoon Serpentine, a; Calivil United, h; Bridgewater, a; Maiden Gully YCW, h; bye.
So far: d Mitiamo 115-8, d Newbridge 172-15, d Pyramid Hill 79-71, d Bears-Lagoon Serpentine 125-87, d Calivil United 128-31, d Bridgewater 113-57, d Maiden Gully YCW 166-8, bye.
Leading goalkickers:
22 Kain Robins, Ryan Wellington; 17 Ryley Taylor; 14 Noah McCaig; Nathan Devanny.
Leading players as per club best each round:
Matt Willox, Todd Davies, Jonty Davis, Shaun Knott, Jack McCaig, Ryan Wellington.
Bears-Lagoon Serpentine – 6-2, 167, 24.
Run home: bye; Pyramid Hill, a; Inglewood, h; Newbridge, a; Marong, h; Bridgewater, h; Calivil United, a; Mitiamo, h; Maiden Gully YCW, a; bye.
So far: d Pyramid Hill 112-97, d Inglewood 98-40, d Newbridge 153-73, lt Marong 87-125, lt Bridgewater 64-90, d Calivil United 141-61, d Mitiamo 131-52, d Maiden Gully YCW 145-18.
Leading goalkickers:
87 Josh Mellington; 7 Charlie Gadsden; 6 Andy Gladman, Farran Priest, James Rippingale.
Leading players as per club best each round:
Josh Mellington, Justin Laird, Farran Priest, Tyler Miles, Doolan Nihill.
Pyramid Hill – 5-2, 268, 20.
Run home: Maiden Gully, a; Bears-Lagoon Serpentine, h; Calivil United, a; Marong, h; Bridgewater, a; Mitiamo, h; bye; Newbridge, a; Inglewood, h; Maiden Gully YCW, h.
So far: lt Bears-Lagoon Serpentine 97-112, d Calivil United 220-20, lt Marong 71-79, d Bridgewater 75-22, d Mitiamo 189-27, bye; d Newbridge 118-33, d Inglewood 125-40.
Leading goalkickers:
28 Zach Alford; 21 Jesse Sheahan; 16 Bailey Scott; 9 Steven Gunther; 8 Jaydon Cowling; 7 Damon Hemphill, Ben Knight.
Leading players as per club best each round:
Tom McGregor, Zach Alford, Damon Hemphill, Steven Gunther, Gavin James.
Bridgewater – 5-2, 180, 20.
Run home: Calivil United, a; Newbridge, a; Maiden Gully YCW, h; Inglewood, a; Pyramid Hill, h; Bears-Lagoon Serpentine, a; Marong, a; bye; Mitiamo, a; Calivil United, h.
So far: d Newbridge 103-82, d Maiden Gully YCW 140-45, d Inglewood 191-41, lt Pyramid Hill 22-75, d Bears-Lagoon Serpentine 90-64, lt Marong 57-113, bye; d Mitiamo 214-33.
Leading goalkickers:
61 Lachlan Sharp; 10 Andy Collins; 7 Josh Martyn; 6 Lee Coghlan.
Leading players as per club best each round:
Boden Alexander, Jack Neylon, Joseph Mayes, Lachlan Sharp, Xavier Walsh.
Inglewood – 3-4, 66, 12.
Run home: Marong, a; bye; Bears-Lagoon Serpentine, a; Bridgewater, h; Newbridge, a; Maiden Gully YCW, h; Mitiamo, a; Calivil United, h; Pyramid Hill, a; Marong, h.
So far: bye; lt Bears-Lagoon Serpentine 40-98, lt Bridgewater 41-191, d Newbridge 95-70, d Maiden Gully YCW 124-68, d Mitiamo 100-79, lt Calivil United 53-108, lt Pyramid Hill 40-125.
Leading goalkickers:
16 Mitch Conlan; 11 Keelan Payne; 9 Liam Marciano, Daniel Polack.
Leading players as per club best each round:
Daniel Polack, Liam Marciano, Will Allen (#1), Mitch Conlan, Luke Matheson.
Newbridge – 2-5, 66, 8.
Run home: Mitiamo, a; Bridgewater, h; Marong, a; Bears-Lagoon Serpentine, h; Inglewood, h; bye; Maiden Gully YCW, a; Pyramid Hill, h; Calivil United, a; Mitiamo, h.
So far: lt Bridgewater 82-103, lt Marong 15-172, lt Bears-Lagoon Serpentine 73-153, lt Inglewood 70-95, bye, d Maiden Gully YCW 113-25, lt Pyramid Hill 33-118, d Calivil United 104-70.
Leading goalkickers:
13 Chris Dixon; 9 Andrew Padbury; 7 Sam Gale.
Leading players as per club best each round:
Will Copland, Tyler Constable, Will Daly, Tyler McLeod, Thomas Hobson, Jackson Hufer, Caleb Sanders.
Calivil United – 2-5, 56, 8.
Run home: Bridgewater, h; Maiden Gully YCW, h; Pyramid Hill, h; bye; Mitiamo, a; Marong, a; Bears-Lagoon Serpentine, h; Inglewood, h; Newbridge, h; Bridgewater, a.
So far: lt Maiden Gully YCW 50-62, lt Pyramid Hill 20-220, bye, d Mitiamo 100-74, lt Marong 31p-128, lt Bears-Lagoon Serpentine 61-141, d Inglewood 108-53, lt Newbridge 70-104.
Leading goalkickers:
17 Ben Baker; 13 Anthony Dennis.
Leading players as per club best each round:
Sam Maher, Jack Maher, Sam Green, Anthony Dennis, Cody Thompson.
Maiden Gully YCW – 2-5, 37, 0 (no points so far because of three-match penalty imposed by LVFNL board).
Run home: Pyramid Hill, h; Calivil United, h; Bridgewater, a; Mitiamo, h; bye; Inglewood, a; Newbridge, h; Marong, a; Bears-Lagoon Serpentine, h; Pyramid Hill, a.
So far: d Calivil United 62-50, lt Bridgewater 45-140, d Mitiamo 78-74, bye, lt Inglewood 68-124, lt Newbridge 25-113, lt Marong 8-166, lt Bears-Lagoon Serpentine 18-145.
Leading goalkickers:
10 Will Farrer; 9 Todd Delaney.
Leading players as per club best each round:
Josh Worsley, Grayson Brown, Ed Crisp, Bryce Franzini, Matthew Crooks, Angus Monfries.
Mitiamo – 0-7, 35, 0.
Run home: Newbridge, h; Marong, h; bye; Maiden Gully YCW, a; Calivil United, h; Pyramid Hill, a; Inglewood, h; Bears-Lagoon Serpentine, a; Bridgewater, h; Newbridge, a.
So far: lt Marong 8-155, bye, lt Maiden Gully YCW 74-78, lt Calivil United 74-100, lt Pyramid Hill 27-189, lt Inglewood 79-100, lt Bears-Lagoon Serpentine 52-131, lt Bridgewater 33-214.
Leading goalkickers:
9 Alex Lloyd; 6 Brayden Baines, Liam Shiell.
Leading players as per club best each round:
Ryan Duncan, Zach Morrison, Liam Shiell, Luke Lougoon, Daniel Walters, Brayden Baines.