GOLDEN Square took until the last quarter of 2007's Round 18 clash at the Camp Reserve to shake off a tenacious and hard-tackling Castlemaine.

After a stuttering start the Bulldogs trailed by 10 points at half-time and had sneaked away to a less than impressive five-point lead by the last change.

As a warm-up for the coming week's elimination final (against South Bendigo), Square's Round 18 performance had to be left in the archives.

The Bulldogs were not going to be able to afford a miserable three-goal first half in the Sunday knockout final against the Bloods.

Three majors in the opening two terms was all the Dogs could muster against the Magpies.
Playing Jason Griffin at full-forward didn't work and had it not been for the relentless running and hard work of Jason Curtain, Stacy Fiske and Chris Kent, Golden Square would have been even further behind at the half.
Attacking the scoreboard end on a warm, spring afternoon the Pies answered Fiske's opening goal with three of their own.
Adam Culvenor, Daniel Christmas and late replacement Brett Cole booted valuable majors to give the home side a handy 10-point buffer at quarter time.
However, the Magpies had suffered a major blow when tap ruckman Luke Walters was sidelined for a lengthy period after an accidental head clash with the Bulldogs' Hamish Dahl.

IN THE second term Magpie small man Jimmy Gale floated a wobbly kick over outstretched hands for a Maine goal while Rick McDonald toe-poked through a grubber with 35 seconds left on the clock.
In between, former coach Darren Walsh and 2007 skipper Christian Carter scored majors with Carter's six-pointer capping off lead-up work from Adrian McErvale and James Walsh.
By the long break the Magpies were still ahead by 10 points: 5.4 (34) to the Square's 3.6 (24).
But a four-goal-to-two third term finally wrested the lead away from the Pies for the Square. Key man in attack Luke Rosa hauled in some strong marks at centre half-forward and kicked a much-needed major following a scuffle with Lachlan Maltby.
Maine skipper Chris "Chopper" Jardine and Calvin Philp combined to land the ball with retiring coach Ian Martin for a valuable Magpie goal.
Walters, back on the field after treatment, had scored Castlemaine's early third term six-pointer --- an easy one, courtesy of a 50 metre penalty.
Time-on goals to Fiske and Mark Adamson left the Bulldogs with their slender five-point three-quarter-time advantage.

NEEDING a vastly improved showing in the last term, Carter (three goals), Rosa and Kent led the way for the visitors as they added 5.7 to the Maine's 1.1.
Golden Square coach Jeff Brennan, now the BFNL senior inter-league mentor, said his side's first half was terrible with the Magpies strong at the footy as they controlled the game.
"What we dished up wasn't acceptable after a good three quarters last round. After a decent bake at half-time today we did manage to get back into the game."
Brennan added an extra day's grace going into the Sunday sudden death final against South wasn't overly significant.
"Still, Matty O'Toole and Jake Hall will be back, but we've lost (defender) Anthony Holdstock for the season because of a fracture in an ankle bone," he said.
After his last game in charge as Castlemaine senior coach, Ian Martin said his farewell appearance wasn't quite as gut-wrenching as he'd thought it might be.
"In the final seven or eight minutes of play today we'd run out of legs and they scored a few goals.
"Nevertheless there are some fine young players at the Castlemaine Football Club and the next coach who comes along will inherit a good start," Martin concluded.

IN OTHER games which wound up the home-and-away rounds five years back, Gisborne (top of the ladder) broke away from Eaglehawk (second) at the Gardiner Reserve to win by a mammoth 92 points.
Reading that, footy followers might think the Dogs led comfortably all the way.
But scores were all tied up at half-time --- Eaglehawk 8.1 (49), Gisborne 7.7 (49).
Then the Dogs went on a rampage. They added 15 goals to just six Two Blue behinds in the second half with Anthony Belcher nailing eight goals for the day, and coach Marcus Barham five.
Ron Best Medallist Damien Brown snaffled three majors for the Two Blues.
In another blow-out Maryborough creamed Kangaroo Flat by 100 points at Princes Park.
It was Magpie coach Steve Thomson's final match in charge and his players dominated from the opening bounce against the winless Roos.
Back in the Maryborough line-up after playing 16 games for the Bendigo Bombers in the VFL reserves, Stewart Crameri dominated in the Maryborough front half.
Now a star with Essendon in the AFL, Crameri landed five of the Pies' 21 goals.
Thomson said his team had turned in a "fantastic performance" for just its fifth win of 2007.
‘We had a great build-up to this match and every player turned in a terrific effort."
Thomson said having Crameri and Jamie Bond as marking targets near goal was always going to be tough for the Flat defence.
In his final match for the Roos, former Richmond and Essendon player Ty Zantuck booted two goals. It was to be Flat coach John Rombotis' last match in charge, as well.

NORTH City outscored South Bendigo after half-time having landed just two goals in the opening half at the QEO.
The Bloods looked to be easing up but the Northies still booted 9.3 to 7.7 in the run home.
Aaron Clark, Eddie Den Ouden and Adam Richardson were best for the Ballarat-based club with Nick Sullivan booting three goals.
South was best served by midfielders Brady Childs and Cameron Hall, while tall forwards James Burke (five goals), Dayne Frew and Leigh Burke posed constant threats.
Final margin to the Bloods, who ended up with no bench, was 36 points: 17.14 (116) to North City's 11.12 (78).

WAYWARD kicking was Sandhurst playing coach Nathan Gilliland's major concern following the Dragons' 12-goal mauling of Kyneton.
On their way to a qualifying final berth the Dragons finished with 18.20 (128) to the Tigers' 8.8 (56), but posted 8.12 in the second half.
"Our conversion wasn't great," Gilliland said. "We had almost 40 shots at goal and then finished with just 18 goals overall." Assistant coach Mark Vigus booted a couple of majors along with Seamus Young, Gilliland and Lucas Ruedin. Spearhead Simon Weekley slotted five.
For the Tigers, Bryan Ruffell snared three goals and big forward Wayne Eve (now at LVFL club Mitiamo) two.

AND so to the first weekend of the 2007 finals.
Sandhurst and Eaglehawk were set for the Saturday night qualifying final, while South and Square were the clubs to meet in Sunday's sudden death elimination final.
Gisborne finished three, clear games on top and had the first weekend off.
On the netball court Maryborough and Gisborne were listed to battle out the A grade elimination final with Square and Eaglehawk matched up in the qualifying final.
Undefeated Sandhurst also finished three games ahead on top of their ladder. The Dragons had earned a clear run into the second semi-final.

Richard's tips for 2012's Round 18: Golden Square by 38 points, Sandhurst by 17, Strathfieldsaye by 43, Eaglehawk by 7 and Gisborne by 50.
2012 running tally: 66.

By Richard Jones