Bendigo Advertiser | Review of round one of the Heathcote District Football League, including North Bendigo's 166-point demolition of Lockington-Bamawm United.
NORTH Bendigo began its Heathcote District Football League season by sounding an ominous warning to the rest of the competition with a 166-point demolition of four-time defending premier Lockington-Bamawm United on Saturday.
Featuring a haul of 12 goals from recruit Sam Barnes, the Bulldogs blitzed the Cats 28.15 (183) to 2.5 (17) at Lockington.
The defeat was the biggest hiding the Cats have copped since joining the HDFL in 2001, surpassing the 132 points they lost to Elmore by in the final round of 2007.
However, North Bendigo co-coach Rob Bennett was quick to play down his side’s impressive start to the season.
“It’s only one game,” Bennett said.
“Lockington, being the side they are having won the past four flags, we paid them a lot of respect and had a real focus of making sure our intensity didn’t drop off all game.”
The Bulldogs bolted to a 37-point lead at quarter-time and never looked back.
They kicked seven goals in the first quarter, seven in the second, five in the third and nine in the last.
The Cats’ two goals came in the first quarter and third, with their score of 17 their lowest since their final year in the Bendigo league in 2000 when they were held to a total of 3.2 (20) against Maryborough.
As well as Barnes, who also spent time in the ruck, dominating with his bag of 12 in his Bulldogs’ debut, the Cats also had to contend with Jeremy Mills (seven goals) and another of the North Bendigo recruits, Brady Herdman (four).
North Bendigo’s nine-goal burst in the final quarter came after a reminder at three quarter-time from Bennett of the Bulldogs’ fade-out against the Cats in the grand final last year that cost them the flag.
“The last quarter was a chance for us to show where we’ve come as a football team, so it was pleasing to finish the way we did,” Bennett said.
The Bulldogs named recruit Jaran McKay their best player for his run-with role on the Cats’ player who tore them up in last year’s grand final, Matt Bongiovanni.
Barnes, Mills, Sam Demeo, Alex Shipard and new ruckman Troy Kelm also figured among the best.
The game was a tough initiation at the helm for new Cats’ coach John Halloran, who has taken over a list that has undergone major turnover from last year’s premiership team.
“There’s no escaping the result, that’s for sure, and we were comprehensively beaten in all aspects,” Halloran said.
“We didn’t have the personnel on the ground today and they showed they are going to be the yardstick.
“We’ve copped a whack with the result, but we want to remain positive and give our young players every opportunity to improve.”
Rhys Woodland battled hard in the ruck all game to be the Cats’ best.
Veteran onballer Mick Dobson and Carl Treacy, who played on Herdman, were also valiant against the odds.
The Bulldogs also comfortably won the reserves and under-17s in what was a rare day where the Cats were beaten in all three games of football.
• Grant Weeks gave Colbinabbin a reminder of what it has been missing the past five years, marking his return to the Grasshoppers with a bag of 10 goals.
The Grasshoppers kicked off their centenary season with a 76-point win at home over White Hills, 16.8 (104) to 3.10 (28).
“We worked hard for three quarters to build a lead and we were pleased with the way we finished off in the last kicking six goals to one,” Colbinabbin coach Phil Morgan said.
“We’ve been working hard at training on our delivery into Weeksy and we kicked it well to him today and he finished with 10.
“And our backline held up well.”
As well as Weeks being a standout, the Grasshoppers - who now have a tantalising match-up with North Bendigo in round two - also had defenders Tom Hill, Matt Riordan and Matthew McEvoy among their better players.
David Wright, Matt Sawyer and Brodie Johnson played well for White Hills.
• Huntly began what’s expected to be an improved season with an 85-point win at home over Heathcote.
The Hawks held sway all game after keeping the Saints goalless in the first quarter on the way to a 21.18 (144) to 8.11 (59) victory.
In what was another game featuring a bag of goals from a key forward, Chris Gleeson snagged nine for the Hawks.
“Heathcote had a real crack at us all day and even though the margin was 14 goals, it wasn’t an easy 14 goals,” new Hawks coach Jamie Hogan said.
“It was a physical game and we were probably able to get on top of them through the midfield.
“We were good around the stoppages through the Semmel boys (Ryan and Jake), Braidy Dickens, Harry Whittle and Stacy Fiske.
“We were able to keep a lot of numbers running through the midfield and that was probably the difference.”
Gleeson wasn’t the only target for the Hawks in the forward line, with Lachie O’Toole chipping in with four goals, while Matt Klein-Breteler kicked three off a wing.
Gleeson, Klein-Breteler, Harry Whittle and Ryan Harris were named the best for the Hawks, who had already been 54 points up at half-time.
Better players for the Saints were led by Jake Condon (two goals), Jakob Sesto and Daniel Russell.
• In the only game of the opening round decided by less than 12 goals, Leitchville-Gunbower finished strongly to defeat Mount Pleasant by 22 points at Gunbower.
The Bombers led by five points at three quarter-time, but kicked 4.7 to 2.2 in the final quarter to win 14.15 (99) to 11.11 (77).
Jackson McEwen, Will Brereton, Jye Keath and Tom Shepherd (two goals) were the pick of the players for the Bombers.
For the new-look Mount Pleasant, recruit Nicholas Grigg kicked six of the Blues’ 11 goals.
The Blues’ three best were all new players to the club - Simon Seddon, Chris Muratore and Grigg.
