By Scot Nicholson and Tim O'Connor

A SIX-GOAL opening term set up Smythesdale’s historic 19-point win over Skipton on Saturday.

The Bulldogs skipped out to a 27-point lead at the first break and were never headed on their way to 

a 9.9 (63) to 6.8 (44) triumph on home soil.

It was the Bulldogs’ first win since defeating the Emus on the exact same date in 2011, a total of 

84 Central Highlands Football League games later.

Following the final siren there were unbelievable scenes of jubilation, as coaching staff and 

supporters ran onto the field and embraced their hometown heroes.

An emotional Smythesdale coach Stephen Frys was personally moved by the win and believed it was only 

a sign of things to come.

“We know that we can win a few more games this year if we play well,” Frys said.

Rylan Rattley was a standout player in the match for the Bulldogs as he prevailed in a large 

majority of ruck contests and directed play from the back line.

Peter Davies booted two majors, while Tim Conder excelled in the midfield and managed to kick his 

first goal of the 2016 campaign.

Shortly after the match, Skipton joint-coach Peter Brokenshow said that his players were trying to 

cope with the shock loss.

“They are all feeling very flat and very disappointed,” Brokenshow, who is sharing the helm with 

John Northey this year, said.

“The players all acknowledge that they got beaten by a better side, a side that was willing to have 

a crack from start to finish.

“It’s obviously not ideal heading into round three being 0-2 and it’s a sign that a lot of the boys 

are finding it hard to gel as a team.”

Recruit Adam Romey (four goals) presented well up forward for the Emus with limited opportunities, 

while onballer Mitchell Jones was impressive amid constant pressure for the entire match.

After climbing to 13th on the ladder as a result of the win, Smythesdale now eyes a round three 

encounter with Waubra.

The Bulldogs then return home for what shapes as a winnable clash with Carngham-Linton, a team that 

sits last on the table following two heavy defeats.

Winless from the opening two rounds, Skipton prepares to host Dunnstown next Saturday before a 

difficult trip to tackle Beaufort the weekend after.

Bungaree 8.15 (63) d Ballan 4.4 (28)

By David Bilbrough

"SOMETIMES you win pretty and sometimes you win scrappy and today covered that second category, 

that's for sure."

That’s how victorious coach Heath Pyke summarised Bungaree’s 35-point triumph over Ballan on 

Saturday afternoon.

And it was a game for the purists as both sides struggled to adapt to the breezy and greasy 

conditions at Bungaree.

As such, eight minutes had elapsed before Jason McNamara's quick thinking on the goal line opened 

the scoring for the Blues.

A further six minutes then passed before Bungaree goaled through the strength of Shaun Finlayson.

Only 11 points adrift at half time - largely due to the defensive brilliance of Jake Wilkinson on 

the Demons’ Luke Mirtschin and Daniel Nielsen on Christian Elliott - the Blues needed a strong third 

term to keep in touch.

Under siege and facing the wind, Ballan was able to hold its host goalless until the Demons’ best 

Jordan Payne crept forward to kick truly at the 15-minute mark.

Dave Benson and Marty Dufty quickly followed suit as the home side piled on two more majors to open 

up a match-winning five-goal lead at the final change.

Bungaree then put the game to bed with two goals to one in the last term.

Alongside Wilkinson and Nielsen, Joel Mullane battled hard, while Sam Hitchings and Scott Atkinson 

were the major contributors for the Blues.

The Demons were best served by Payne, Chris O'Keefe – who celebrated his return to the side with a 

long goal in the final term – and Chase Morgan, who provided the highlight of the day with a 

screamer in the gathering gloom.

Mirtschin and Finalyson kicked two goals each for the winners.

"They came with a game plan to trouble us, to chip the footy around, which was helped by our lack of 

accountability at times,” Pyke said.

“Our ball use let us down, especially in the first term with the breeze when we kicked to their 

loose player probably eight or 10 times.

"We're definitely a work in progress, and we're happy sitting two and zip, but there's a lot to be 

improved on after today.”

Bungaree, one of five unbeaten teams following the opening two rounds of the season, now eyes a trip 

to Clunes to take on a Magpies outfit that is yet to register a win in 2016.

Ballan, which sits ninth on the ladder, will look to bounce back when it plays rivals Gordon next 

Saturday.

Beaufort 14.11 (95) d Springbank 5.8 (38)

By John McGregor

BEAUFORT took a wrecking ball to reigning premiers Springbank with a smashing 57-point win on 

Saturday.

The day just got worse for the Tigers with Thomas Eltringham yellow-carded after Crow Alexander 

Petrie was flattened in the second term.

There was a mini melee and to top things off, a central umpire had to be taken from the ground after 

rolling his ankle.

The Crows tore into the Tigers right from the first bounce, kicking away to a 39-point lead at 

quarter time after humbling Springbank, which could only manage a solitary behind.

Kicking with the wind seemed a handy advantage, but Springbank stayed on the back foot, unable to 

spark a resurgence as it had against Dunnstown the week before.

The young talent that had shone then were out of their depth against a hungry Beaufort side.

It was a 45-point lead the Crows took into half time as the drizzle started to fall.

The Tigers’ only goal-kicker for the first half was Tyler George and the only multiple scorer for 

the day was Ben Beasley with two majors.

Leading scorer for the Crows was Lachlan Murray with five goals, while Jack Duke, Michael Foster and 

Tim Haase kicked two each.

There were strong performances from Rupert Sangster, Jayden Orr, Damien Day, Lee Marshall and Zac 

Marrow.

For the Tigers, George, Samuel Cue, James Reicha, Michael Searl and Mitchell Keighrey tried to swing 

the game back their way.

Beaufort's stand-in coach Rohan Brown was succinct post match.

“The boys were really great, weren't they? They were terrific against a premiership side,” he said.

“To beat them with our pressure and ball movement was very pleasing. We set the boys some big 

challenges and they responded really well.”

Springbank's joint-coach Searl didn't mince his words.

“We've got to cop it on the chin and realise that we can't expect to click a switch for when we need 

to ... and we might have been lucky last week,” Searl said.

“They taught us a valuable lesson. They taught us to be first to the footy, to spread from the 

stoppage and  effective ball movement. We weren't even close.”

Hepburn 9.20 (74) d Learmonth 7.6 (48)

By Louis Gillett

ALTHOUGH far from its scintillating best, Hepburn kept a perfect start to the season intact with a 

26-point win over Learmonth on Saturday.

The Burras were almost victims of their own inaccuracy, polling 20 behinds in blustery conditions at 

Hepburn.

Olver's side had a multitude of exclusions before the match, with key players Lee Cox, Jacob Graham 

and Brad McKay all late withdrawals.

The void was clearly felt by Hepburn, and the travelling Lakies managed to hold a slender lead as 

far as three quarter time.

Matthew Bond was a colossus for Learmonth, nailing three majors, while he was well aided by Brodrick 

Campbell and Patrick McGuigan, who contributed two goals each.

Playing coach Brenton Powell was a forceful presence around the ground, while swingman Ryan Barnes 

was impressive.

Down by four points at the final change, Hepburn took advantage of a strong tailwind in the fourth 

quarter and began converting their opportunities to snatch the fixture.

Jacob Brown and Ricky Ferraro came through in the clutch for Hepburn, Andy McKay was at the heart of 

the revival, while key defender Michael Watt extinguished the few opportunities Learmonth had to 

strike back.

Gordon 26.20 (176) d Carngham Linton 4.5 (29)

By Tim O'Connor

GORDON put the foot down after quarter time to deal Carngham-Linton a crushing blow on Saturday 

afternoon.

The Eagles were jumped early by the Saints, which led by eight points at the first change.

But a 10-goal second term quickly swung the result in the favour of the Eagles, which banged through 

16 more majors after half time to seal a convincing 147-point win.

Gordon coach Gary Learmonth praised the efforts of Mick Nolan (six goals) and defenders Adam Toohey 

and Gerard Clifford, while his counterpart Aaron Braeckmans rated the performances of Jacob Dawson 

in the midfield and up forward and backline players Brodie Doolan and Daniel White.

Creswick 18.19 (127) d Clunes 3.8 (26)

By Tim O'Connor

CRESWICK proved far too polished for Clunes in a 101-point triumph on home soil.

Onballers Joel Antonio and Joel Berry were standouts for the Wickers, which were also well served by 

Darrien Mann off a wing and up forward.

Liam Hepworth kicked three goals for the winners, while Jesse Baird managed two for the Magpies, 

which named Jason Yole as their best.

Waubra 13.16 (94) d Rokewood-Corindhap 7.2 (44)

By Tim O'Connor

ON THE scoreboard, it appears Waubra had an easy time of it against Rokewood-Corindhap on Saturday.

But the Roos’ 50-point victory was far from easy.

Waubra led by just one point at half time and only 13 at the final change before skipping clear in 

the last quarter.

Grasshoppers coach Mick Hynes said injuries to onballer Chad Baker (ankle) and half back Michael 

Steele (hamstring) hurt his side.

Buninyong 13.15 (93) d Daylesford 9.9 (63)

By Tim O'Connor

BUNINYONG marched towards its clash against reigning premiers Springbank with a hard-fought victory 

over Daylesford on Saturday.

Led in the middle by Ned Gilbert and Matt Caris, the Bombers collected a 30-point win against a 

Bulldogs outfit that led at quarter time and was within two goals of the home side at the final 

change.

Bomber Jake Dunne kicked four goals to be the leading forward on the ground, while Seb Walsh managed 

three majors for the visitors, which were best served by onballer Jordan Alexander.

Daylesford now prepares for arch-rivals Hepburn, which it hosts next Sunday.

Dunnstown 15.10 (100) d Newlyn 10.7 (67)

By Tim O'Connor

DUNNSTOWN is one of eight teams with a square win-loss ledger after the opening two rounds of season 

2016.

The Towners pushed Springbank to half time and then fell away in the season opener, but there was no 

repeat on Saturday against Newlyn.

Dunnstown held the lead at the main break and then kicked clear in the third and fourth terms to 

record a 33-point success at home.

Peter McGettigan booted four majors in a solid display in attack for the victors, which were well 

served by young defender Tim O’Shea, who had the job on Cats forward Will Young (four goals).

David Richardson was named Newlyn’s best.