Bendigo Advertiser | Review of round 18 of the Loddon Valley Football League season. Mitiamo is headed to the LVFL finals for the first time since 2011 after beating YCW by 70 points on Saturday.
Mitiamo 16.18 (114) d YCW 6.8 (44).
MITIAMO is headed for its first Loddon Valley Football League finals series since 2011 after belting YCW by 70 points on Saturday.
Needing to win to guarantee their position in the top five, the Superoos played accordingly in running out 16.18 (114) to 6.8 (44) victors.
The Superoos got the jump on YCW in the opening term to lead by 20 points at quarter-time, and by half-time were well on the path to the finals when they led by 45 points, 9.7 to 2.4.
The Superoos finished with seven goals to four in the second half and will now turn their attention to next Sunday’s elimination final against Calivil United at Pyramid Hill.
Steven Tolongs and Korey Fulton both kicked five goals for the Superoos, while Joel Pianto (three) was also a multiple goalkicker.
Tolongs was the Superoos’ best player, while gun midfielder Doug Thomas, who looms as a contender for the Harding Medal, ruckman Michael I’Anson and Luke Lougoon were others to play well for Mitiamo, which since last playing finals in 2011 had finished eighth, eighth and seventh before this season’s improvement.
The 70-point loss ends a disappointing season for the Eagles, who after winning five games last year won just three in 2015.
Better players for the Eagles on Saturday included Matthew Waterson, Nicholas Waterson and Mitch Collins. Levi Moss and Corey O’Brien kicked two goals.
Bears Lagoon-Serpentine 13.21 (99) d Calivil United 14.9 (93).
BEARS Lagoon-Serpentine has clung onto the LVFL double chance, but only just.
In a clash where the winner would finish third, the Bears survived a furious late fightback from Calivil United to hold off the Demons by six points at Seprentine.
The Bears’ inaccuracy almost came back to haunt them, but they held on to win 13.21 (99) to 14.9 (93) and for the second year in a row will meet Pyramid Hill in the qualifying final.
Mathew Davidson kicked five goals for the Bears, whose better players featured Sam Stavenuiter, Sean Monohan (two goals) and Luke Edwards, while ruckman Chris Down and skipper Henry Miller (two goals) led the way for the Demons, who now play Mitiamo in the elimination final.
Newbridge 16.12 (108) d Pyramid Hill 15.9 (99).
NEWBRIDGE coach Matt Dillon described his side’s upset win over Pyramid Hill as a bittersweet victory.
While pleased to have ended the season on a positive with the 16.12 (108) to 15.9 (99) win over a flag contender, it was a frustrating reminder for Dillon of the brand of football the Maroons were capable of this year, but were unable to produce consistently.
Having made finals the past three years, the Maroons end this season seventh with a 6-9-1 record.
Saturday’s nine-point win over Pyramid Hill at Riverside Park followed a near-miss for the Maroons against the Bulldogs earlier in the season when they were beaten by three points.
“It was good to finish with a win, but there’s no doubt it’s a bit bittersweet because it showed our best footy was right up there,” said Dillon, who will coach the Maroons again next year.
“We went out there wanting to play with some run and risk, which we did and got the result.
“It’s disappointing not to be playing finals, but it was one of those years where we lost games early and couldn’t make up the ground.”
Midfielder Jordan Gilboy, Shaun Knott (three goals), Nathan Bacon and Billy Price were best for Newbridge, while the dynamic Chris Dixon kicked four goals.
Pyramid Hill coach Paul Grayling was bitterly disappointed in his side’s performance a week out from the start of the Bulldogs’ 12th-straight finals series.
“We just weren’t switched on and not good enough today,” said Grayling, who kicked five goals.
“We only played about 10 minutes of good footy for the day and were ordinary for the rest of it. They wanted it more than us today.”
Pyramid Hill was at its best during the second quarter when it kicked seven goals to two to turn a 17-point deficit at quarter-time into a 12-point lead at half-time.
Backman Michael Bateman, midfielder Bryden Morison and half-back James Fox played well for the Bulldogs in what was their third loss of the season.
Marong 14.7 (91) d Inglewood 8.12 (60).
MARONG won its third game in a row, beating Inglewood by 31 points, but it’s season over for the Panthers after they missed out on a berth in the finals by percentage.
The Panthers kicked eight goals to two after half-time to win 14.7 (91) to 8.12 (60).
Nathan Devanny, Josh Griffin and Richard Tibbett (four goals) were the standouts for the Panthers.
Inglewood – which has claimed its fifth-straight wooden spoon after again winning just one game – was best served by Zachary Raeburn, Cade Colahan and Leighton Driscoll.
