Unlike the losses in 2016, 2017 and 2018 when beaten by less than a goal, Saturday saw the Highlanders completely outclassed by a quicker and more skilled North Central outfit.

The Central Highlands boys were the slower of the two teams to adapt to the fast pace of the match, which was played in beautiful conditions at Learmonth.

Well beaten in contested ball in the opening stanza and trailing by 13 points at the first break, things started to improve for the hosts in the second quarter.

While the forward line still struggled to function with a lack of quality delivery, the Highlanders managed to trim the margin to just five points by half time thanks to goals from Jake Dunne and Tom Nash.

North Central then cracked the match apart with a dominant third term.

The visitors only managed three goals but looked a class above the home side, which barely managed a foray forward.

A 30-point deficit at three quarter time looked a bridge too far for the Highlanders and it proved to be just that.

North Central piled on the first three majors of the final term to put the result beyond doubt before the floodgates opened and both teams traded goals until the siren.

In the end, North Central finished as emphatic 41-point victors.

Skipper Mark Gunnell collected the medal as best on ground for the CHFL for his strong effort under constant pressure in defence. Fellow backmen Jack Robertson and Brendan Howard were serviceable, Tom Nash was solid in the middle and Jarrod Rodgers, Lincoln Barnes and Dan Wehrung were honest through the centre of the ground.

The main injury concern for the CHFL was a calf strain to Beaufort's Levi Cox.

Brodie Adcock won the medal as the North Central's best player.

North Central playing coach Ricky Allan was rapt with the result.

"It was played at a really hot intensity in the first half and we felt a lot of their scoring was coming off our turnovers," he said.

"We spoke at half time about controlling the footy and the boys were all fantastic in taking that message on board and we were able to control the game in the second half.

"We probably should have been 10 goals up at three quarter time, but we were very inaccurate in the third quarter... lucky we weren't playing for percentage.

"It's a bit of a cliche, but we genuinely could have given our best on ground medal to 10 players. We had a very even spread of contributors."

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Meanwhile, a wasteful display in front of goal by the Central Highlands helped North Central land a comfortable victory in the under-18.5 clash on Saturday.

The Highlanders booted a horrible 3.12 to slump to a 24-point defeat.

Central Highlands coach Peter Rizzoli felt his side controlled major parts of the game but wasn't able to make the visitors pay.

"The forwards just wasted the footy a fair bit and to be honest we were pretty undermanned in our forward line," he said.

"We didn't have enough talls down forward.

"We had the better of them for probably the second, third and first five minutes of the fourth quarter and just wasted the footy in front of goal."

Central Highlands captain Dean O'Brien was a major presence in the midfield and was awarded his side's best on ground medal.

O'Brien hails from Carngham-Linton, where he has been a full-time senior player in 2019.

Rizzoli also praised the efforts of Macauley Griffiths for his display in the ruck, outside midfielder Lochlan Stewart and defender Matthew Harbour. Luke Cullen booted two majors for the beaten brigade.

North Central was led by its medal winner Cooper Anderson, while Jakob Hicks and Harry Cashin both kicked two majors each.

RESULTS

FOOTBALL

SENIORS

North Central FL 3.3 4.4 7.11 13.13 (91)

Central Highlands FL 1.2 3.5 3.5 7.8 (50)

GOALS - North Central: R. Allan 2, G. Turner 2, T. Finlay 2, F. House 2, T. Cossar, J. Hargreaves, S. Simmons, W. Donnan, H. Durward. Central Highlands: J. Dunne 2, S. Dunstan 2, L. Murray, T. Nash, A. Zelencich.

BEST - North Central: B. Adcock (medal), B. Delmenico , T. Donnan, F. House, K. Donnan, S. Pye. Central Highlands: M. Gunnell (medal), J. Rodgers, L. Barnes, D. Wehrung, J. O''Brien, J. Robertson.

UNDER-18.5

North Central FL 3.0 5.1 6.2 8.6 (54)

Central Highlands FL 1.2 2.6 2.6 3.12 (30)

GOALS - North Central: J. Hicks 2, H. Cashin 2, T. Cossar, W. Bertalli, L. Wright, B. Weir. Central Highlands: L. Cullen 2, K. Yanner.

BEST - North Central: C. Anderson (medal), H. Cashin, M. Egan, W. Bertalli, T. Cossar. Central Highlands: D. O'Brien (medal), M. Griffiths, N. Rodgers, M. Harbour, J. Watkins, L. Stewart.

NETBALL

SENIORS

Central Highlands 71 d North Central 30

Central Highlands best on court: Jedda Heard