By John McGregor

Gordon seemed to have Daylesford’s measure right from the first bounce on Sunday.

A good start from the Bulldogs came from the first goal of the match by Seb Walsh, but it was soon eclipsed by a solid spread of scoring shots by the Eagles.

Even though Walsh added a second major, Gordon led by 10 points at the first break.

The Bulldogs had their tails up in the second term, kicking two quick goals to take a two-point lead.

Daylesford extended the advantage to eight points and then two rapid-fire majors from Chris McGuigan snatched it back for the visitors.

The Bulldogs were hanging by a thread when Jack Nulty levelled the scores at the 13-minute mark.

And it was all downhill from there with Cam Richardson slotting a major and big man Brendan Sutcliffe booting two for Gordon.

The 18-point lead the Eagles had at half time blew out to 40 points in the third term, which was hit by atrocious conditions thanks to a hail storm and heavy rain.

Tye Murphy revelled in the heavy going, kicking two goals for Gordon in that quarter.

The final term was a mud wrestle with no team getting any real traction. The Bulldogs’ only reward was three behinds.

McGuigan top-scored for the Eagles with four goals, while Murphy and Sutcliffe finished with two apiece.

Around the ground, it was speedster Mick Nolan who commanded respect, while Ash Munari, Matt Raworth and Steven Nicholson conquered the muddy conditions.

Daylesford had just the one multiple goal-scorer, with Walsh booting two. Sam Winnard and Max Risstrom had solitary goals, but probably deserved a better result.

The Bulldogs had big efforts from Joel Cowan, Patrick Rowe, Josh Cooper and ruckman Luke Carland.

“I liked the way we fought it out. It was a tough game. It was always going to be a tough game,” Gordon coach Gary Learmonth said.

“In the second when they kicked a couple of goals we responded really well. We’re starting to get our run and carry going.”

Daylesford coach Marcus Goonan was quick to move on after Sunday’s defeat.

“We’ve got a few boys to come back in like every side probably has this point of the season. Just got to keep winning. That’s our focus. We’re always a chance. Always a chance in every game we play.”

Gordon is now fifth on the ladder, while Daylesford has slipped back to ninth.

Springbank 7.8 (50) d Bungaree 4.9 (33)

By Tim O'Connor

A brilliant patch late in the second term set up Springbank’s victory over Central Highlands Football League rivals Bungaree.

In what was mostly a dour struggle in windy conditions on Saturday, the Tigers’ stars were able to break open the contest just before half time, with a four-goal burst establishing an 18-point advantage at the main break.

Three of those majors came from Tom Eltringham and the other from coach Michael Searl, who converted after being awarded a free kick.

Just two more goals were scored for the entire game as the Tigers ran out comfortable victors, albeit by just 17 points.

Matt Tyler was a rock in defence for the Tigers, controlling the air with intercept marks while offering good drive into attack, Nick Couch, Joel Maher (who hurt his hamstring late in the game) and Tyler George were dominant in the midfield and Billy Driscoll was lively in attack.

For the home side, Jackson Murphy, David Benson and Joel Mirtschin were among the standouts, but it was the Tigers that had more winners across the ground.

The result leaves Springbank a game clear at the top of the ladder, but sees Bungaree slide from the top four to a place in sixth with three rounds of the home and away campaign remaining.

“We’ve had some great battles over the years and today it was another one. It was a complete arm wrestle right from the start and no team really was able to get any huge momentum swings,” Searl said.

Searl said the brief period late in the second quarter showed the quality of football his side is capable of playing.

“It’s disappointing the fact that we were only able to dish it out in small patches, but hopefully it’s a sign that we are building that momentum as we go towards the latter end of the season,” he said.

Demons coach Heath Pyke said the better side won the match on the day, but was frustrated at a couple of periods in the game that cost his team victory.

“Time on in the second quarter where we let them kick four or five goals and then also on top of that our inability to convert in the third quarter, kicking 0.5. Obviously with the margin only being three goals, (that) has a fair old say in it,” Pyke said.

Pyke said Chase Morgan and Lachlan Prendergast both suffered ankle injuries in the last quarter of the match. Both look in danger of missing the round 15 clash with Gordon next weekend. After that encounter, the Demons have fixtures against Buninyong and Ballan before finals.

Springbank prepares for a battle with the winless Skipton next Saturday.

Rokewood-Corindhap 19.8 (122) d Skipton 5.12 (42)

By John McGregor

What a mighty celebration it was on Saturday as Rokewood-Corindhap hammered Skipton to run out winners by 80 points.

Even better was that it marked the return of one of the Grasshoppers’ favourite sons in Caius Barrenger, who played his first game for the season.

Sidelined with a pre-season anterior cruciate ligament injury, Barrenger slipped straight back into gear by kicking six majors on his return.

Grasshoppers coach Jarrod Thompson said the side has been missing a good centre half forward all year.

“It’s good to see what he can do. It’s good to get him back and kicking a bag,” Thompson, who landed just his second success as coach on Saturday, said.

It was a slippery midfield that held sway for Rokewood-Corindhap. Ben Reese was strong in the ruck, feeding the ball out to runners like Sam Chapman and Jake Dowell.

And it was a solid forward line that capitalised.

Barrenger was joined on the scoreboard by Jake Carr (four majors), Thompson (three) and Chevy Elliott (two).

Around the ground, Grasshoppers dominated and among those to stand out were Damon Delaney, Zac Priddle and skipper Aaron Gercovich.

Skipton struggled to match it with the run and carry the Grasshoppers produced and scoring was meagre.

The Emus’ best included Lakota Stranks, Adam Romey and Sam Lehmann, who snatched their opportunities when they could.

Skipton coach Greg Middleton said he remained positive about the Emus’ progress despite the latest loss in a disappointing season and is keen to stay at the helm next year.

Beaufort 23.18 (156) d Clunes 7.4 (46)

By Tim O'Connor

Lachlan Murray kicked eight goals in a commanding forward line display as Beaufort collected a 110-point win over Clunes.

In an undermanned outfit, Murray took control and worked well alongside fellow forward Tim Haase, who booted six majors.

Onballers Joe Mason and Alex Petrie also starred for the winners, which remain second on the ladder.

For Clunes, Josh Thompson kicked two goals and Matthew Wrigley was named best.

Hepburn 19.20 (134) d Carngham-Linton 4.9 (33)

By Tim O'Connor

Hepburn stretched its winning sequence to 11 games with a 101-point success against Carngham-Linton on Saturday.

Burras coach Jason Olver rated the performances of Dan O’Halloran, Jimmy Rodgers, Aron Burns and Jackson Liversidge in the victory, which leaves the team third on the ladder. Burns and Brad McKay were the leading goal-kickers with four each.

For the hosts, Josh Benfield and Todd Currie were among the best.

Waubra 15.15 (105) d Creswick 5.3 (33)

By Tim O'Connor

Waubra kept its name in the top four conversation with success against Creswick on Saturday.

The Roos landed a 72-point triumph at Doug Lindsay Reserve to remain just a game adrift of fourth spot with three rounds to play.

Waubra coach Grant Luscombe said Ben Wilson, Lincoln Barnes and Matt Dawson were good through the middle, while Paul Dodds played well off half back.

Aaron Hepworth got the nod as Creswick’s standout.

Learmonth 9.12 (66) d Ballan 8.12 (60)

By Tim O'Connor

There were dramatic scenes late in the clash at Learmonth on Saturday, with Ballan’s Adam Kurzman left to believe an after-the-siren miss had cost his team the match.

However, Kurzman’s shot on goal was irrelevant to the final result, with the scoreboard incorrectly showing the Blues trailing by five points when the siren sounded.

It should have shown Learmonth up by seven points and safe from an agonisingly late defeat.

The Lakies’ six-point win came on a day when Pat McGuigan celebrated his 200th game for the club.

McGuigan, along with defender Nick Bone and winger Michael Zelencich, were among the best for the Lakies, which jumped back to eighth spot with the victory.

The Blues were led by defender Ash Mullane, onballer Darren Tanti and forward Bradie Thomas, who kicked a game-high three majors.

Ballan sits 11th on the ladder after the defeat.

Buninyong 17.18 (120) d Newlyn 3.5 (23)

By Tim O'Connor

Buninyong piled on 14 goals in the second half to run out convincing winners over Newlyn on Saturday.

Despite the eventual 97-point margin, the Bombers were made to work for their victory.

The home side trailed by just 14 points at the main break, but managed just one major in the third and fourth terms.

Jake Dunne and Liam Rigby kicked two goals each for the Bombers, with defender Nick Shell and youngster Jacob Coxall named best.

For Newlyn, it was once again joint-coach Dan Wehrung that was rated as the team’s leading contributor.

Buninyong is fourth after the win and leading into its clash with Daylesford next weekend.