FOUR of the five teams remaining in the Loddon Valley FNL premiership race recorded big wins on the weekend over the league’s also rans.
This weekend’s first week of the finals is now locked in place, with Pyramid Hill and Bears Lagoon-Serpentine set to clash at Marist College on Saturday, with the winner to meet minor premiers Marong in the second semi final, while Bridgewater and Newbridge will lock horns this Sunday at Pyramid Hill in the elimination final.
Marong, Pyramid Hill and Bridgewater all recorded big wins of 14 goals or more in their final tune-ups ahead of the finals, with Newbridge also registering a strong 52-point win over Mitiamo.
Reigning premiers Marong proved too strong for Inglewood, with the Panthers keeping the Blues scoreless for the first 30 minutes in their final match for the season on their way to a dominant 120-point win.
Ryley Taylor (11 goals) and Ryan Wellington (seven goals) were unstoppable up forward, booting 18 goals between them in an ominous warning to their finals opponents that the two-time premiers will once again be hard to beat.
Matthew Riordan, Jai Gretgrix, Jack McCaig and Jimmy Gadsden were among the Panthers best in the 25.14 (164) to 6.8 (44) victory, with Gabe Nevins, Tom Kennedy and Fergus Payne named as Inglewood’s better players.
Pyramid Hill finished the season as the Panthers nearest rivals after climbing over Bears Lagoon-Serpentine in the final round of the season to claim second spot on the ladder after registering a 114-point win over Maiden Gully-YCW on the weekend.
The 19.14 (128) to 2.2 (14) result ends a season to forget for the Eagles, who started the home-and-away season minus eight points on the ladder, before finishing their first season under Shawn Filo and Angus Monfries in eighth with a four win, 12 loss record.
Bailey George (six goals) and Zach Alford (five goals) led the way up forward for the Bulldogs, with strong contributions from Ben Knight, Damon Hemphill and Brad Ladson.
Mitch Whitham, Josh Worsley and Tom Pridgeon were the best for MGYCW, with Pridgeon and Dylan Turner the only Eagles to hit the scoreboard.
An eight goal haul from leading goal kicker Lachlan Sharp saw Bridgewater record a comfortable 84-point win over Calivil United.
It sees Sharp finish the home-and-away season with 128 goals in his first year at the Mean Machine.
The home side didn’t have things all their own way, despite opening up a 33-point lead at quarter time, with the Demons outscoring their more fancied rivals in the second term by one point.
The Mean Machine flexed their muscles in the second half however, kicking 10 of the next 11 goals on their way to a dominant 21.10 (136) to 7.10 (52) victory.
Joseph Mayes, Lee Coghlan, Jonathon Coghlan, Tyler Estrada and Boden Alexander were among Bridgewater’s best, along with Sharp, while Justin Hynes, Samuel Green and Anthony Dennis, in his last game in charge of Calivil United, were the best for the Demons.
The final match of the round was also the closest, albeit still a one-sided affair, with Newbridge defeating Mitiamo by 52 points.
The 16.17 (113) to 9.7 (61) result not only locked the Maroons into fifth position, but also confined the Superoos to a winless season.
After kicking 15 of the first 19 goals to three-quarter time, Newbridge put the cue in the rack in the final quarter, with Mitiamo producing some of their best football all season in the last half an hour of their 2024 campaign.
Brandon Dimech and Chris Dixon each kicked five goals for the winners, with the pair joined by Brandon Etherington, Matthew McArthur and Tyler McLeod as the Maroons better players.
Zak Myers, Luke Lougoon and Nathan Twigg were the best for Mitiamo.
