By Peter Wilkie
With five rounds of home and away football left, the Bendigo Bank Central Highlands Football League is building to an exciting climax to the 2007 season.
Top three teams Daylesford, Waubra and Hepburn all recorded wins and will most likely finish in their current spots.
4th placed Dunnstown are 8 points behind Hepburn, and a game clear of Learmonth.
Tied for fifth (separated by percentage) are Learmonth, Bungaree, and Ballan, with Buninyong a game back in 8th and Springbank and Newlyn still a mathematical chance of sneaking into the Final Five.
Next week’s round sees Dunnstown and Ballan meet in a cracker of a match. If the rapidly improving Ballan can win it will see FOUR teams all locked together on 32 points, 4th to 8th separated by percentage only.
On the goal kicking table, Hepburn’s Lee Cox has continued his charge to the top, booting another 6 in his side’s exciting win over Dunnstown.
Cox and Waubra’s Lee Brown are now tied together on 65 goals for the year, with a possible shootout looming in the finals to determine just who will be the CHFL’s top goal kicker in 2007.
LEADING GOALKICKERS
ROUND 12
L. Brown (Waubra) 65 (3 this week)
L. Cox (Hepburn) 65 (6)
B. Nicholson (Bungaree) 52 (4)
A. Tranquilli (Springbank) 48 (3)
A. McKay (Hepburn) 42 (1)
BUNINYONG welcomed full forward Adam Scott back from injury with a third win on the trot, beating CRESWICK by 59 points.
Scott booted 5 goals as the Porter Industries Bombers keep the pressure on the sides above them.
Justin Orwin starred again for Buninyong, along with established players like Rory Gilbert and Shane Lavery.
Creswick again was well served by youngsters Steve Patterson and Matt Ferrell, but some of the positive momentum the Ballarat Carworks Wickers had built appears to have slipped away.
HEPBURN won a thriller with DUNNSTOWN by 13 points, the win moving the Kookaburras 2 games clear of 4th to probably have 3rd spot on the ladder sewn up.
4 wins in a row since the Round 8 loss to Daylesford has Hepburn right in the mix for a top two finish for the fourth consecutive year, and Shane Robertson’s men will face 2nd placed Waubra in 2 weeks.
Dunnstown were on top early and still held an 11 point lead going into the last quarter in this tough contest, but the young Hepburn side showed its character to get up, booting 4 goals to nothing in the torrid final term.
WAUBRA won by a big margin over BEAUFORT, but the Reigning Premier were not as impressive as the final margin may have suggested. (See full Match Report)
BUNGAREE continued its hot form, clobbering CLUNES by 89 points to move within 0.5% of 5th spot on the ladder.
The Demons quickly bounced back from last week’s loss to Daylesford, with Chris O’Keefe and Adam Stevens again getting plenty of the footy, and Bryce Nicholson, Corey Fothergill, and Brendon Lloyd all among the goals.
Clunes’ better players included Coach Glenn Handley, the hard working Jason Yole, and Richard Meerbach.
League Leader DAYLESFORD buried LEARMONTH early before easing up late to run out 43 point winners, the Bulldog’s Michael Cummings helping himself to 4 goals along the way.
Displaying all the signs of a side in control of its destiny Daylesford were reportedly never stretched in building a substantial lead, then taking the foot off the gas in the heavy conditions, helping keep legs fresh for the next big challenge.
Learmonth, as always, had great service from Brenton Powell, one of the real talents in the CHFL, while Sam Basham was lethal as ever when given space in the forward zone.
Daylesford were always on top, though, led brilliantly by Luke Adams, Captain Rob Rodgers and the brilliant Clayton Scoble, who continues to shine this year.
NEWLYN and SPRINGBANK tussled out a tight game before the Cats were able to break away to win by 11 points.
In the Dean Gervasoni Memorial Shield game, Newlyn had to fight off a challenge after leading early, Springbank coming to within 6 points before Newlyn kicked away with 3 late goals to hold on.
Chris and Simon Dwyer each booted 3 for Newlyn, and Shane Edwards grabbed a couple on the way to best on ground honours.
For the Tigers, Travis Toohey and Mick Carey were among the better contributors.
BALLAN continued its surge up the ladder with a thumping 111 point win over GORDON.
The Blues’ Jacob Branch became another vital avenue to goal, booting 7 majors alongside Rod Watts with 6.
Watts’ improving form mirrors Ballan’s late charge at a finals berth, and there are a few sides already assured of a finals spot who will be hoping the hard as nails Blues don’t make the cut.
Bristling with hardness at the footy and match winning talent like Hayden Cartledge, Watts, and Salesi Uhi, Ballan are set for a huge clash with Dunnstown next week.
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|