ROUND 7 FOOTBALL REVIEW
BY NATHAN DOLE
Strathfieldsaye wins thriller against Castlemaine
STRATHFIELDSAYE Storm clung on for a two-point victory against Castlemaine as the Bendigo Bank Bendigo FNL marked Indigenous Round on Saturday.
The Storm and Magpies played out a thriller at Triple M Park in Strathfieldsaye’s Tannery Lane.
Goalkicking accuracy became a key factor as the contest went on.
Storm scored 4.1 as the Pies racked up 2.4 in the opening quarter.
By half-time it was Storm in front, 7.1 to 4.9.
Both teams added two goals in the third as Strathfieldsaye held a 13-point buffer going into the final quarter.
Goals by Jake Moorhead and Riley Wilson put Storm up 71-47.
After a series of five behinds, Castlemaine was on target.
A hat-trick of goals put the Magpies within two points at less than 2 ½ minutes to play.
The Luke Freeman-coached Storm withstood the pressure to claim a crucial win.
Patrick Blandford, Cooper Jones and Jordan Wilson all kicked two goals for Strathfieldsaye.
The Mapies’ attack was led by coach Michael Hartley and Harrison Sheahan with two.
Storm’s best were Sam Heavyside, Michelsen medallist Jake Moorhead, Ben Lester, Bode Stevens, Patrick Blandford and Lachlan Ratcliffe.
Best for Castlemaine were ruckman Patrik Balta, Rhys Jenkins, Harrison Sheahan, Kalan Huntly, Campbell McLennan and Callum McConachy.
Victory meant the fifth-placed Strathfieldsaye is now two wins clear of the sixth-placed Castlemaine approaching the halfway mark of the home-and-away series.
Feature match of Indigenous Round was at Eaglehawk’s Canterbury Park where the Hawks met Sandhurst in the clash of second and first.
The Borough faced the reigning premier on the rebound from its first defeat of the season.
Eaglehawk made a flying start with the opening two goals to lead 13-nil.
The Dragons then fired up to score seven consecutive goals across quarters one and two.
By half-time Sandhurst led 49-19.
A hat-trick of goals at the start of the third quarter meant the maroon and blue led 68-26.
Eaglehawk finally replied in the 13th minute of the term.
Another two majors put the Two Blues within five goals before the Dragons were on target right on the siren.
Both teams added a goal in the last as Sandhurst marked an 81-48 victory.
Dragons’ co-captain Fergus Greene marked his first match since the opening round by kicking five goals.
Last season’s Ron Best medallist as the league’s leading goalkicker had seven team-mates chip in with a goal each.
The Hawks’ attack was led by Jack O’Shannessy on three.
Best for Sandhurst were co-coach and gun on-baller Lachlan Tardrew, Hugh Schmetzer, Oliver Morris, Lachie Hood, Liam Ireland and Cooper Smith.
The Dragons also have Bryce Curnow as playing co-coach.
Eaglehawk’s best was Jonty Neaves who played in defence in his first match since round four.
Charlie Langford, ruckman Brayden Frost, Billy Evans, Joel Mullen and Ben Thompson also played well for an Eaglehawk team coached by Travis Matheson, non-playing, and Clayton Holmes, playing.
Gisborne overturned a 13-point deficit at the start of the final term to claim a 21-point win against Golden Square in the battle of the Bulldogs at Gisborne’s Gardiner Reserve.
The young Golden Square team took it right up to its more highly-fancied opponent.
It was Gisborne which raced to a 19-2 before Square hit back with consecutive goals by Jordan Rosengren.
The first of Pat McKenna’s four goals meant Gisborne led 25-15.
Jack McMahon replied for Golden Square as the home team led 28-23 at quarter-time.
The only goals in the second term were off the boot of Gisborne team-mates Matt Merrett and Pat McKenna.
Quarter three was dominated by the Brad Eaton-coached Golden Square.
The blue and gold slammed on seven goals straight and kept Gisborne to a tally of 1.1.
By the last change it was Square which led 67-54 and a huge upset was brewing.
The Rob Waters-coached Gisborne responded to the challenge by scoring five unanswered goals in the final term as the visitors added a point.
McKenna ended on a match-high four goals in an 89-68 victory for the red, white and blue.
Other multiple goalkickers for Gisborne were Dylan Johnstone and Matt Merrett on two.
Golden Square’s attack was led by Jack McMahon and Jordan Rosengren with three each.
Best for Gisborne were James Gray, Matt Merrett, Brad Bernacki, Pat McKenna, Zach Vescovi and Jed Denahy.
Golden Square’s best were Jordan Rosengren, Jake Maher, Daniel Keating, Ollie Eaton, Harrison Kelly and Jack McMahon.
Seven goals by talented small forward Brock Harvey highlighted South Bendigo’s big win against Kangaroo Flat at Kennington’s Harry Trott Oval.
The Bloods charged to a 52-14 lead by quarter-time and then scored seven goals as the Roos added a major in the second.
South Bendigo co-coaches Troy Coates, non-playing, and Jack Fallon, playing, would have been rapt with the team’s ruthlessness in the third term.
The Bloods started the half leading by 76 points and then slammed on 10 goals to lead by 139 points going into the final.
The Tyrone Downie-coached Kangaroo Flat never gave up and scored 3.2 in the last as the Bloods added 4.5 on the way to a 194-46 victory.
A season-best seven goals by Brock Harvey has put him third place in the Ron Best medal race on 19 goals.
Other multiple goalkickers for the red and white were Kaiden Antonowicz, Jack Fallon, Andrew van Heumen on three, and Tom Brereton, James Davies and Steven Stroobants on two.
Kangaroo Flat’s leading goalkicker was ruckman Angus Macpherson on two.
Best for South Bendigo were Brody Haddow, ruckman Callum Crisp, Jack Fallon, Brock Harvey, Tom Brereton and Jake Rusbridge.
Jake Hywood, Zach Bird, Daniel Stagg, Aaron Melis, Xavier Coghill and Campbell Smith were best for the Kangaroos.
Bendigo FNL senior footy ladder:
Sandhurst 218 per cent, 24 points; Gisborne 141, 24; Eaglehawk 175, 20; South Bendigo 141, 20; Strathfieldsaye 100, 12; Castlemaine 77, 8; Golden Square 63, 4; Kangaroo Flat 27, 0.
The league takes a break next Saturday for the King’s Birthday holiday weekend.
Round eight will be played on June 14 from 2.20pm.
Strathfieldsaye faces South Bendigo in Storm territory at Triple M Park in Tannery Lane.
Gisborne tackles Kangaroo Flat at Gisborne’s Gardiner Reserve.
Eaglehawk and Golden Square clash on the Borough’s turf at Canterbury Park.
Castlemaine and Sandhurst meet in the Magpies’ nest at Castlemaine’s Camp Reserve.
Leaders in the goalkicking race for the Ron Best Medal:
22 Kaiden Antonowicz, South Bendigo.
20 Pat McKenna, Gisborne.
19 Brock Harvey, South Bendigo.
18 Jack O’shannessy, Eaglehawk.
16 Tom Campbell, Sandhurst.
16 Clayton Holmes, Eaglehawk.
13 Hugh Schmetzer, Sandhurst.
12 Dylan Johnstone, Gisborne.
10 Billy Evans, Eagleawk.
10 Cooper Jones, Strathfieldsaye.
10 Bode Stevens, Strathfieldsaye.
10 Matt Wilkinson, Sandhurst.
9 Brad Bernacki, Gisborne.
9 Michael Hartley, Castlemaine.
9 Jonty Neaves, Eaglehawk.
9 Jordan Rosengren, Golden Square.
9 Steven Stroobants, South Bendigo.
9 Thomas Werner, Gisborne.
8 Josh Eyre, Castlemaine.
8 Jack Fallon, South Bendigo.
8 James Gray, Gisborne.
8 Harry Luxmoore, Gisborne.
8 Jack McMahon, Golden Square.
8 Nick Stagg, Sandhurst.
8 Ben Thompson, Eaglehawk.
7 Tyh Evans, Eaglehawk.
7 Nick Lang, Kangaroo Flat.
7 Cobi Maxted, Sandhurst.
7 Tom Strauch, Golden Square.
7 Riley Wilson, Strathfieldsaye.
6 Jayden Burke, Golden Square.
6 John Watson, Castlemaine.
