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LEOPOLD extended its unbeaten run to seven weeks after holding off Grovedale on Saturday.
The second-ranked Lions led the Tigers at every change to finish with the 10.15 (75) to 8.12 (60) result at Burdoo Reserve.
Grovedale has now slipped from fourth to sixth on the ladder.
ACROSS at Kardinia Park, St Mary’s accounted for Bell Park 15.15 (105) to 8.11 (59).
And it was the Saints’ young guns that stood up.
Coach Bryce Vincent said colts products Kyle Devlin, Callen Wade, Jordan Carruthers, Zak Sherman and Mitch Etherton had been completing extra training sessions to compete at senior level.
“You can see they’re all getting the rewards on the field,” he said.
“Every week we’ve had a minimum of four changes because of blokes playing Falcons, VFL and injuries and at the moment there’s a sickness spreading through the club.
“If we had lost it would have really put us behind the eight ball. The conditions were terrible and it wasn’t a great game to watch but I think we did what we had to do to win.”
It was a bruising affair for the Dragons, with Ross Dillon (back) and Ben Kennedy (suspected shoulder) casualties of the game.
MEANWHILE, North Shore surprised Colac in the opening term to be nine points up at quarter time.
But the tables soon turned and the Tigers ran away with a 103-point win.
Seagulls coach Jason Davenport said it was time to face some “home truths”.
“We started OK and put on some scoreboard pressure,” he said.
“Then, through some lapses in concentration, we just fell away. From that point the game was beyond doubt and some players probably didn’t stick at it.”
OTHER GFL winners were Newtown & Chilwell, South Barwon and St Joseph’s.
TIGERS TRUMP GRUBBERS, COUTAS QUELL SEAGULLS
TORQUAY stole second spot from Ocean Grove in a two-point thriller.
The lead was shared throughout the match before the Tigers prevailed 13.10 (88) to 12.14 (86).
It means Torquay jumps to second and the Grubbers drop to third.
MEANWHILE, Queenscliff continued its climb up the ladder with a 14-point win over Barwon Heads.
While the Seagulls had the star power — former Richmond and Geelong pillar Brad Ottens — the Coutas had a full list of men ready to battle against the breeze.
Queenscliff coach Tom Limb said the 9.21 (75) to 9.7 (61) result was a credit to the group’s fitness.
“We knew it wasn’t going to be an easy day, that’s for sure,” he said.
“That was like a four or five goal wind out there.”
Barwon Heads booted five goals with the breeze to Queenscliff’s one in the opening term but was held scoreless in the second.
“We just had to make sure we were willing to win the tough footy first and then really spread hard,” Limb said.
Geelong Amateur, Drysdale and Portarlington had more comfortable outings.
LIONS UPSET HAWKS
BELMONT Lions produced the upset of the round.
The lowly Lions, who had previously won a single game for the season, toppled Inverleigh 14.10 (94) to 10.22 (82).
It was a long time coming for the club, according to president Mal Smith.
“We’ve been on the verge for five weeks,” he said.
“Today the boys got it together.”
Belmont trailed at every change but slammed on four goals to Inverleigh’s one in the final term to snatch victory.
Small forward Steve Jackson finished with five goals, while Alex Hann and John Hambrook led from the centre.
Lions coach David McKiernan said it was a “rewarding” outcome for a true four-quarter effort.
“We’ve played every single top team in the past five or six weeks,” he said.
“But we’ve worked hard and have continued to develop.
“We definitely thought we were a chance. We didn’t want to let it slip away.”
MEANWHILE, Corio gave Werribee Centrals a four-goal head start in the first term but chipped the margin back to eventually win 16.12 (108) to 12.11 (83). It was the Devils’ second win of the season.
IN other matches, Bell Post Hill and Bannockburn did enough work early to hold off the fast-finishing East Geelong and Anakie respectively, while it took Winchelsea three quarters to break away from Thomson.
Geelong West, featuring Brendan Fevola, plays North Geelong on Sunday.
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