Buninyong 19.19 (133) d Dunnstown 5.6 (36)
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By Tim O'Connor
Buninyong coach Jarrod Morgan said his side turned in its best display of the year in a 97-point win over Dunnstown.
Buninyong had 12 individual goal-kickers, with Jake Dunne the best of them with four majors.
Key backman Jack Robertson was named best for the Bombers, with Tim O’Shea a standout for Dunnstown.
The Bombers are now sixth on the ladder, while the winless Towners are 16th.
Beaufort 15.9 (99) d Gordon 11.8 (74)
By Tim O'Connor
If Beaufort wasn’t already high on your list of Central Highlands Football League premiership contenders, it should be now.
The Crows, already impressive winners over Daylesford and Bungaree in the opening two rounds, turned in a blistering performance in their clash with flag rivals Gordon on Saturday.
Beaufort produced a sublime first three quarters to establish a match-wining lead and then took the foot off the pedal before finishing with a 25-point victory on enemy territory.
The end margin was not reflective of the dominance the Crows had on the game, with the lead surpassing 50 points during the third term before the Eagles were able to peg back the deficit with six goals to two in the fourth quarter.
Beaufort’s speed of ball movement and mentality to run and carry at all costs was impressive to watch.
The likes of Tom Stapleton and Jack Duke were impressive in the engine room and up forward, while Lachlan Murray finished with a match-high four goals.
But it was the defensive division that gained much of the credit from coach Rohan Brown, who was pleased with Lee Marshall – who marked Gordon spearhead Cam Richardson – Damian Day and Levi Cox.
“The back seven I can’t be happier with,” Brown said.
“The best thing, and I know I say it all the time, is that there was 22 guys that went really well.”
Brown kept a lid on premiership talks so early in the season, despite beating a side he regards highly in the competition.
“Our goal as a group is to make top four, so hopefully we can keep winning and do that, but grand finals is a long way off,” he said.
Gordon coach Gary Learmonth conceded his side was beaten by a better outfit on the day.
“They came to play and gave us a lesson, really,” Learmonth said.
“They’re well ahead of where we are, but there’s a long way to go.”
The Eagles are planning to challenge the report on Richardson, who was yellow-carded and had his number taken for striking Cox in the second term.
In some bad news for Gordon, important defender Adam Toohey is set for an extended period on the sidelines after suffering a broken collarbone.
Toohey had played well in defence alongside another of the Eagles’ best Gerard Clifford before leaving the field.
Ruckman Luke Gunnell and midfielder Tye Murphy tried hard for the beaten brigade.
Bungaree 12.8 (80) d Hepburn 9.13 (67)
By Tim O'Connor
Bungaree produced a big final term to condemn Hepburn to its second-straight defeat on the weekend.
The Demons trailed by seven points at the last change, but then booted five goals to two to clinch the result.
Putting a dampener on the victory for Bungaree was the fact that recruit Joel Mirtschin was placed on report for striking.
Defender Matthew Harrington was the Demons’ best.
Waubra 17.16 (118) d Daylesford 6.11 (47)
By John McGregor
WAUBRA handed out a football lesson to Daylesford on Saturday in the first installment of the Bernie Jurcan Cup, sealing the result with a seven-goal blitz in the final term.
It was always going to be an emotional rollercoaster for Daylesford and Waubra on a day remembering the former Bulldogs president, who died suddenly in January.
But in the end the Kangaroos romped home by 71 points to claim the silverware and full forward Tim Boyle the best player medallion.
Boyle was pivotal in the third term with two quick goals knocking a Bulldogs drive on the head.
He backed up in the final quarter with two majors in the seven-goal avalanche that sunk the home side.
Boyle racked up five goals for the match and had good company with Josh King, Will Booth, Aaron Bird and Matt Dawson kicking two each.
Will Corbett, Josh Crawford, Dean Robertson and skipper Tom Nash added singles.
It was a tough job picking the best players for the Roos as it was an excellent showcase of talent and skill.
But the Lukich brothers were dominant out of the middle, with Geordie tapping and James doing the takeaways.
Nick Dinsdale, Ben Wilson and Alex Davis stood out from the pack as well.
Standouts for the Bulldogs were Joel Cowan, Cameron Lovig and Zac Tisdale. Ricky Costanzo, Josh Cooper and Cameron Ralph held their own.
Max Risstrom, Will Austin and Sam Winnard kicked goals, backing up singles from Ralph, Cowan and Lovig.
Waubra coach Grant Luscombe spoke about reversing the stinging defeat by Daylesford last year in the elimination final.
“The boys were pretty eager to do well today after last year. The second quarter was the hardest one for us. They congested it,” Luscombe said.
“At half time we made a few little changes and it worked.
“The changes opened the game up a bit and that’s what we’re happy with.”
Daylesford coach Marcus Goonan was in a sour mood after the game on Saturday and declined any comment to The Courier.
Waubra’s success makes it three-straight wins to start the Central Highlands Football League season and leaves the team third on the ladder.
The Roos have a big clash against Bungaree this coming Saturday.
Daylesford is now 13th on the table ahead of next weekend’s battle with Rokewood-Corindhap.
Rokewood-Corindhap 12.4 (76) d Newlyn 8.5 (53)
By Tim O'Connor
New Rokewood-Corindhap coach Jarrod Thompson has secured his first victory at the helm, with his side landing an upset win over Newlyn on Saturday.
Thompson’s boys led at every change on their way to a 23-point triumph on the Cats’ home ground.
“It’s only one win, but at the same time they’re the teams we need to be winning against to climb that ladder and be a bit more competitive,” Thompson said.
Recruits Damon Delaney, Sam Chapman and Aaron Gercovich were good through the midfield for the winners. Chapman booted three goals, as did Thompson and Jake Carr.
For Newlyn, the defeat was made even worse by news that defender Wes Carter has sustained a fractured cheekbone.
Defender Daniel Hammond, joint-coach Dan Wehrung and young Luke Prendergast were among the Cats’ best in a losing afternoon.
Learmonth 38.19 (247) d Skipton 4.2 (26)
By Tim O'Connor
Forward Todd Curran led a goal-kicking rampage on Saturday as Learmonth crushed Skipton by 221 points.
Curran booted 12 majors in a dominant display and was well assisted by Matt Bond and Brodrick Campbell, who kicked eight and six respectively.
The trio did the bulk of the damage as the Lakies recorded a monstrous 38.19 (247) scoreline.
Onballer Scot Whiting was another to play well for the home side, which made it back-to-back wins after the success over Rokewood-Corindhap prior to the Easter break.
It was a horror day for the Emus, which rated Tim Huglin, Sam Lehmann and Nathan Fenby as their best.
Carngham-Linton 9.19 (73) d Clunes 7.11 (53)
By Tim O'Connor
A roaring rendition of the club song signaled the end of Carngham-Linton’s massive winning drought on Saturday.
There were scenes of jubilation from players and supporters as the Saints celebrated their first victory since the round 17 win over Learmonth in late 2015.
Since then, 616 days and 19-straight defeats in the Central Highlands Football League had passed.
But all that became a distant memory when the Carngham-Linton boys finished full of running to defeat the Magpies by 20 points on their home turf.
The win was also a first for Matt Beaston as coach.
“Just as a coach, it’s just good to see the smile on everyone’s face and (them) singing the song,” he said.
“It’s just reward for effort for them. They are working damn hard as a club and as a committee.
“I know it’s not a premiership, but it’s a little small win for them.”
Beaston hopes the result produces some confidence and self-belief within the playing group.
“Hopefully a little bit of that’s there now and they can move forward from here,” Beaston said.
Carngham-Linton trailed Clunes by 17 points at half time on Saturday, but took a six-point lead into the final term. The Saints then kicked three goals to one in the last quarter to clinch the 9.19 (73) to 7.11 (53) triumph.
Jacob Dawson won the Anzac Day best on ground medal for his display in the Carngham-Linton engine room, while Matt Coutts had a good game in the ruck.
Dean and Justin O'Brien both kicked two goals for the Saints.
Clunes will be disappointed it could not take advantage of another winnable fixture and make it three wins to start the 2017 campaign.
The Magpies were led by Kevin Maroney, Joshua Thompson and Callum Newton on Saturday, with Thompson (three) and Jason Yole (two) the team’s only multiple goal-kickers.
“You can never predict the future, but if they keep working to the processes and procedures that we are putting in place at the club, they’ll keep getting reward for effort,” Beaston said of his side.
“They’re a group that love a challenge, they buy into what I expect of them and they demand high standards of each other.”
Carngham-Linton sits 12th on the league ladder following Saturday’s win and can now take a break with the bye this coming weekend.
The Saints’ next assignment will be against Learmonth.
Clunes’ defeat leaves it in ninth spot on the table ahead of a battle with reigning premiers Springbank next round.
Springbank 15.16 (106) d Ballan 4.6 (30)
By Tim O'Connor
Another big performance in attack from Tom Eltringham helped Springbank breeze past Ballan by 76 points on Saturday.
Eltringham continued his dominant form in attack, booting eight majors to take an outright lead on the league goal-kicking chart.
For Ballan, onballer Sam Hitchings had another good game, while Ash Mullane down back and Michael Snaith up forward were the better performers.
Blues midfielder Darren Tanti went down early with another hamstring injury and was among the casualties alongside teammate Jake Wilkinson (leg).