Leader News |
IT WON'T quite solve a parochial stoush between two great football towns, but Ballarat is king for now.
The Ballarat Football League will tackle the might of the Goulburn Valley next year for another tilt at country football's interleague top branch after creeping past the Bendigo Football League, 13.10 (88) to 8.17 (65), at Eastern Oval.
Ballarat rallied after heading to the first break 18 points adrift and bereft of any great opportunity as rookie coach Ben Jordan searched for answers.
Jordan got lucky Bendigo peppered the goal face when its chances came and the representative charges from the state's west pounced, ramming on six goals in a frantic second term to take an eight-point lead. Bendigo recaptured the advantage in the third but Ballarat bit back with the breeze at its back to claim the third-tier league-on-league battle.
"We were very pleased. It was good reward for the guys who worked really hard," Jordan said. "It took a while for us to get our game going, but once we did the guys played a really good brand of senior footy.
"Once we settled our rhythm we strung some patches of play together and once we kicked a couple of goals we were away."
East Point young gun Hayden Walters won the league medal for best-on-ground but Sunbury ruckman Pat Cariss was outstanding and Leigh Burke was terrific across the back half. Ollie Messaoudi was Bendigo's best, alongside Wayne Shultz and Brodie Filo.
Ballarat rammed on 14 second-quarter goals to blitz Bendigo and set up the league's first netball triumph in seven years.
Melanie Allen, Susan Dalmau and Stacey McCartin were all outstanding for Ballarat, with North Ballarat City's McCartin awarded the AFL Victoria Country Medal for best on court. Bendigo bit back in the under-17 contest, winning 40-22, but Melton South's Monique Clark won the competition medal.
