Weekly Times | BALLARAT and Bendigo’s interleague coaches have been left shocked by the result between the fifth and sixth-ranked country leagues at Ballarat’s Eastern Oval.
The hosts crushed their Worksafe Country Championships nemesis Bendigo on Saturday, 17.11 (113) to 4.12 (36). The fifth-seeded Ballarat showed its class by kicking twelve unanswered goals during the second and third quarters to pull clear after a tight opening term.
Ballarat coach Shane Skontra said he was surprised by his team’s dominance.
“The final margin was unexpected,” Skontra said.
Bendigo coach Rick Ladson said his charges’ poor showing left him dumbfounded.
Ladson said the loss of captain Jack Geary in the first quarter to concussion, inexperienced players and wayward kicking contributed to the final scoreline. He flagged his intention to stay in the coaching role, ahead of next year’s clash with the Gippsland league.
“I hate losing, hopefully I get reappointed and can do something about it,” Ladson said.
Meanwhile, 29th-ranked Riddell District league has clinched an unlikely three-point win over the 13th-ranked Nepean league.
The two teams faced each other in a dead rubber, with Riddell District coach Matt Power declaring his side wanted to prove it was better than its seeding suggested.
“We always thought we could compete with them,” Power said.
