Weekly Times | YINNAR has claimed the Mid Gippsland Football League premiership by 20 points against Yallourn/Yallourn North yesterday.
There was to be no fairytale victory for first year Bombers playing coach Adam Bailey, who took the senior side from wooden spooner with one win last year, to the decider 12 months later.
The Bombers finished minor premier, but the only side to get the better of them the whole season was Yinnar, which claimed a Round 1 victory, draw in Round 10, and win in the second semi-final.
The Magpies, under coach Nick Lecchino, won their first premiership since 2008 at Morwell yesterday, 14.9 (93) to 11.7 (73).
Midfielder Jaime Aitken won the league’s Bill McConville medal, and captain Sam McCulloch won the AFL Victoria Country best-on-ground award.
Teammates Tim Aitken and James Dowling finished with seven goals between them.
Dale Murphy was named best-on-ground for Yallourn/Yallourn North, and Tim Phillips — the league’s leading goal-kicker this season and one of two Bombers reported yesterday — kicked three goals.
Both reports, from the second and third quarters, will be heard at the tribunal.
Last year Yinnar finished second but bombed out of the finals in straight sets. The previous two years it made it as far as the preliminary final.
“It’s been a bit of work in progress. This is my first year at the club and there’s been a bit of heartache at that footy club over the last couple of years, being knocked out in straight sets in finals,” Lecchino said.
“The main objective was to make sure that if we got to this part of the year that we front up and play the type of footy we should be playing, and we did.”
● HEYWOOD has maintained its strong position in the South West District Football League by claiming this year’s premiership against Tyrendarra yesterday.
The Lions have played the grand final every year since joining the competition in 2012, a premiership year for the side followed by two seasons as runner-up.
Yesterday Heywood was back on top after a 8.17 (65) to 5.12 (42) against the Darras, with Lions James Imbi, Jason Saunders and John Anthony Bell kicking two goals each.
The team named Jamaine Jones its standout player.
● NORTH Bendigo ended a premiership drought dating from its back-to-back flags in 1976-77 yesterday.
The Bulldogs toppled minor premier Leitchville Gunbower, which was going for its first Heathcote District league flag since joining the competition for the 2010 season, by 10 points, 10.13 (73) to 8.15 (63).
Troy Kelm was heralded best on ground for the new premiers, and teammates Sam Barnes and Paul Prime kicked three goals apiece.
● TUNGAMAH has claimed three consecutive premierships in the Picola and District Football League South East division.
The Bears beat Waaia 19.9 (123) to 9.11 (65) yesterday after kicking away in the third quarter, when they piled on eight goals to one.
Nick Lawless and Ash Saunders — the second player to reach the goalkicking ton in the state this season — booted five goals each and Tungamah’s Adrian Connell and Waaia’s Connor Brown were the best players for their respective sides.
Yesterday’s result kept the state’s longest running country football winning streak alive in the process.