Bendigo Advertiser | SOUTH Bendigo recorded its biggest Bendigo Football League win in 55 games on Saturday, trouncing Maryborough by 132 points at the Queen Elizabeth Oval.
The Bloods have been on the end of plenty of hidings since last season, but dished out one of their own to the struggling Magpies with the 25.18 (168) to 5.6 (36) result.
The hefty margin gave the Bloods an important percentage boost of 61.9 to 86.8.
The Magpies made a positive start to the contest when they kicked 4.4 in the opening term to trail the Bloods by five points at quarter-time.
But the Magpies could only add one goal after quarter-time, while the improved Bloods piled on 20.
Of South Bendigo’s 25 goals for the match, the Bloods kicked 17 with just five misses in the second half, including 11 in a final-quarter blitz.
The Bloods producing an 11-goal quarter of football comes a season after they kicked 11 goals in a match just five times during 2014.
“We’re asking our guys to play their roles and if they do that, they will get the rewards and that’s what happened today,” Bloods coach Steven Oliver said.
“We had goals for our forwards, midfield and back half and they all certainly met or exceeded them.”
South Bendigo’s Ben Edwards showed his versatility by booting six goals, a week after playing centre half-back against Kangaroo Flat.
“It wasn’t just Benny’s goals, but some of the stuff he did off the footy was great as well,” Oliver said.
Alex Hywood chipped in with five goals for the Bloods - all in the last quarter.
Edwards and Hywood were among a spread of 14 goalkickers by the Bloods - only Castlemaine with 15 in round one have had more this year.
“We’ve kept our back six fairly steady, but the rest of the guys are encouraged to get forward where they can,” Oliver said.
Jake Miller continued his strong form in defence to be the Bloods’ best player.
“Jake was terrific. He uses the footy well, competes well and didn’t make a mistake, which was really important across half-back,” Oliver said.
Edwards, Daniel Frew, the skilful Jayden Sheean, Hywood and Charles Trotman were also among the best for the Bloods.
Three weeks ago the Bloods had won just two of their previous 23 games, but they have since won two of their past three, and if it wasn’t for getting over-run by Kangaroo Flat in the last 15 minutes a week earlier, last year’s wooden-spooners would have been sitting in the top five at the inter-league break.
With the 132-point defeat, Maryborough has lost four-consecutive games by more than 100 points - the first BFL senior team since Kyneton in 2008 to have lost at least four in a row by triple figures.
Matt Bond kicked three of the Magpies’ five goals.
Coby Perry again gave his all to be the Magpies’ best.
Jake Postle and Chris Freeman, who played in the under-18s earlier, and Nathan Bond also battled hard for the Magpies.
While the Magpies’ seniors and reserves both copped heavy defeats, the club tasted success earlier when its under-18s won by 47 points.
