IN EARLY June 2006, South Bendigo became just the fourth club to defeat Gisborne since the start of the 2002 season with a 95-75 victory.

The Graveyard Dogs had dominated the BFNL from 2002 onwards, winning three premierships and finishing runners-up to Sandhurst in 2004.
When the Bloods downed Gisborne it was just the eighth time in that era a rival club had accounted for the Dogs, leaving Gisborne on a 76-8 win-loss record from the start of 2002.
Looking back a decade further down the track it’s salutary to recall the dominance of Gisborne in the early to mid-Noughties.
Just eight losses in four-and-a-half seasons is extraordinary.
The most successful club against the Mick McGuane and Marcus Barham-coached Dogs had been Sandhurst.
The Dragons had inflicted three of the Dogs’ eight losses including the historic finals’ wins in 2004: a four-point second semi-final victory followed by success in the ’04 grand final -– by 29 points.
Emphasising their decade-long rivalry (which has gone on ever since) the other Dogs, Golden Square, had beaten Gisborne twice.
By a point on each occasion.
The Square wins came mid-year in 2005 and then in the season opener in 2006.
In the close encounters In their most recent losses the Graveyard Dogs had outscored both Square and South. In Round 1 2006 Gisborne had amassed 32 scoring shots to Square’s 23 and then in mid-2006 they’d had 30 shots at goal to the Bloods’ 25.
But the Gisborne losses had inspired the Dogs as each time they’d been beaten they had come out the following week and trounced opponents by an average of 64 points.
Gisborne’s losses from 2002, to early July 2006
Round 8, 2002: Maryborough 21.7 (133), Gisborne 15.14 (104)
Round 11, 2003: Sandhurst 12.16 (88), Gisborne 11.13 (79)
Round 16, 2004: Sandhurst 12.13 (85), Gisborne 11.8 (74)
Second semi-final 2004: Sandhurst 10.20 (80), Gisborne 11.10 (76)
Grand final 2004: Sandhurst 15.14 (104), Gisborne 11.9 (75)
Round 7, 2005: Golden Square 18.7 (115), Gisborne 16.18 (114)
Round 1, 2006: Golden Square 14.9 (93), Gisborne 12.20 (92)
Round 11, 2006: South Bendigo 14.11 (95), Gisborne 9.21 (75)

KANGAROO Flat coach Damien Brown downplayed the significance of skipper Shannon Milward leaving the club the day before the club’s vital clash with Maryborough.
On the Friday before the Rd. 11 match Milward had departed Dower Park for Kerang.
Brown said he didn’t believe Milward’s departure had a distracting effect on the Roos’ build-up to its clash with Maryborough at Princes Park.
In the finish the Magpies won 17.10 (112) to 12.13 (85) a mere 24 hours after the Flat hierarchy had cleared Milward to the Central Murray club.
“He wasn’t happy with the committee and that’s fine. He told me he wanted to go and it’s not going to change results for us.
“We wouldn’t have won on Saturday even with Milly in the side. So good luck to him and hopefully he plays finals footy up there and gets a flag,” Brown said.
It wasn’t a great day at Maryborough for Brown and his charges. Senior players Travis Thatcher and Luke Freeman were on report, both on striking charges.
Freeman was booked for allegedly striking Ben Kick while Thatcher intended to plead ‘not guilty’ to his charge of allegedly striking Magpie ruckman Shane O’Connor.
In the aftermath of Round 11 ten years ago North City’s Eddie Den Ouden and Eaglehawk’s Aiden Metcalf had both accepted automatic one-match bans.
Metcalf had gone into the umpires’ books for alleged rough conduct while Den Ouden’s charge was alleged striking.

SOUTH went into the big game without a swag of top players: coach 'Breeza' O'Bree, current Kyneton coach Luke Beattie, John Hardinge, Leigh Burke, Linc Sullivan and Beau Shiels.
Despite their patched-up side the Bloods led Gisborne 7.5 to 3.13 at the long break.
And Castlemaine led Kyneton 9.9 to 7.5 in their game but went down to the Tigers by 15 points.
Final scores: South Bendigo 14.11 (95) def. Gisborne 13.13 (91), Kyneton 18.7 (115) def. Castlemaine 15.10 (100), M'borough 17.10 (112) def. Kang. Flat 12.13 (85), Eaglehawk 27.19 (181) def. North City 6.4 (40) Phil Lobb 10 goals for the Hawks and Sandhurst 18.15 (123) def. G. Square 13.13 (91).
Top Five: South 10 wins-1 loss, 164.8%; Gisborne 9-2 212.4%, G. Square 8-3, 130.0%, Eaglehawk 7-4 134.0 % and Sandhurst 6-4-1 (draw with Kyneton) 121.7%.

THERE had been some big signings in the weeks leading up to the 2006 season.
On Christmas Eve 2005 Eaglehawk signed swingman Kain Robins following a two-year stint with the Bendigo Bombers in the VFL.
And just after Anzac Day in 2006 ruckman-forward Leigh Rees was cleared by the VCFL appeals board from Castlemaine to South Bendigo.
The Camp Reserve Pies had been desperate to keep Rees despite the big man moving from the Maine to Bendigo in his employment.
The Bloods outlaid $5500 to take their case to the VCFL appeals authority.
And the hearing lasted three hours at the VCFL suite inside the MCG.
Back to Robins. He’d decided to return to Canterbury Park following a two-year stint with the VFL’s Bendigo Bombers.
Robins, 21 at the time, had also nominated three years running for the AFL national draft. But despite a six-week stint training at Hawthorn in late 2005 a selection or a draft didn’t eventuate.
“The disappointment became greater each time,” he told the Advertiser on Christmas Eve.
He acknowledged the biggest improvement in his game while being coached by the Bombers’ Matthew Knights and Peter Banfield was his work rate not only in matches but also at training.
“There are always areas to improve for any players. My focus has to be on improvement on my left-side and on second efforts,” Robins said.
Then Borough coach Derrick Filo said the 190cm key forward or on-baller would give the Two Blues more marking strength in attack.
“He’s capable of kicking a lot of goals and he gives us a few more options,” the coach said.
Robins was always able to play on a wing or even on a half-forward flank.
And it turned out to be a great decision to sign Robins as he went on to win the 2006 Michelsen medal with 15 votes.
Apart from Robins by late December 2005 Eaglehawk had also signed Paul Eyles, Wayne Burchell and Brad Lawlor from Castlemaine. Ryan Pedrotti was returning from White Hills.
The Hawks had lost midfielders Daniel Rankin and Kurt McGlynn who had moved on.

REES was expected to line up for the Bloods against Golden Square in the April 29th match in 2006.
Coach Danny ‘Breeza’ O’Bree said South “was elated” to have won the Rees’ appeal.
“It’s great news for the club, of course,” he said.
“But more importantly it’s great news for Leigh because he gets to line up with South and play footy where he wants to play --- and that’s with the Bloods.”
O’Bree said Rees was just about in the side to play the Square as he “hadn’t missed a training session all pre-season” and was cherry ripe to play.
Ten years ago current inspirational Square skipper Luke Rosa was fit to make his BFL debut.
Coach and key playmaker Darren Walsh as out with a leg injury so the straight swap with Rosa was seen as good news.
Along with Rees, ruckman John Hardinge and forward Luke Beattie --- now Kyneton senior coach –- were both in South’s extended squad.
Interestingly dual Strath Storm premiership player Jayden Donaldson was out of Sandhurst’s team to play Castlemaine.
Donaldson was listed to line up for the Pioneers while Zac Perez was due to play his first game for the Dragons since returning from WAFL club West Perth.
And Eaglehawk was ready to welcome back inspirational skipper and centre half-back Ben Hynes for the crucial clash against Gisborne.

Richard’s tips for BFNL Rd. 11: Eaglehawk by 65 (vs. Maryborough), Gisborne by 15 (vs. Kang. Flat), Sandhurst by 27 (vs. South Bendigo), Strathfieldsaye by 30 (vs. G. Square) and Kyneton by 21 (vs. C’maine at Camp Reserve).
Tips running total for 2016: 41.

By Richard Jones