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Skipton has taken a huge step towards a historic Central Highlands Football League finals appearance.
The Emus defeated ninth-placed Bungaree on Saturday to break a game and percentage clear inside the top eight with three home and away rounds remaining.
Skipton, which is looking to become the first former Lexton Plains club to play CHFL senior finals, scored a 23-point win on the Demons' turf.
Emus coach Greg Middleton said it was pleasing to overcome injuries to key players Andrew Pitson (hamstring) and Curtis Townrow (corkee) during the match, a home ground Bungaree advantage and a long history of heavy defeats by the Demons.
"I was really happy for the club - it was a big step forward," he said.
Bungaree got off to a flying start to lead by 25 points at the first change before Skipton returned fire and took a one-point advantage into half time. The Emus opened up a five-point margin by the final change before running away to score an 11.8 (74) to 7.9 (51) success.
Bungaree coach Heath Pyke said the third quarter was a telling one as the visitors managed to score against a handy breeze.
"They kicked two against it which sort of made life tough... unfortunately it was a gap too far," Pyke said.
Pyke said his side - which has the bye in round 15 - would probably have to win its remaining games against Springbank and Newlyn to reach finals.
BUNGAREE v. SKIPTON
Skipton 0.3, 4.5, 7.7, 11.8 (74)
Bungaree 4.4, 4.4, 6.8, 7.9 (51)
GOALS, Skipton: Curtis Townrow 3, Kal Dubbeldam 3, Brayden Draffin 1, Andrew Pitson 1, Joshua Draffin 1, Jack Peeters 1, Mitchell Bruns 1
Bungaree: Tyson Stewart 2, Jake Trevenen 2, Harry Cousens 1, Jackson Murphy 1, Andrew Milroy 1
BEST, Skipton: Kal Dubbeldam, Joshua Draffin , Adam Romey, Bailey Thompson, Xavier Lourey, Ben Krol
Bungaree: Jackson Murphy, Jordan Crone, Harry Cousens, Steven Ryan, Jake Trevenen
Hepburn forward Sam Dunstan kicked the biggest haul of the season in the Burras' win over Creswick.
Dunstan booted 14 majors as the home side beat the Wickers by 137 points.
"His marking, leading and second and third efforts were fantastic," Hepburn coach Clive Raak said.
Other standout players for Hepburn were Tommy Horne, Julian Lockwood and Mitch and Brad McKay.
The Burras sit fifth, a game and percentage behind the fourth-placed Gordon.
For Creswick, veteran Tim Rieniets, Aaron Sedgwick and Jacob Plier were rated best.
HEPBURN v. CRESWICK
Hepburn 6.8, 11.12, 19.16, 24.18 (162)
Creswick 0.0, 2.1, 2.1, 4.1 (25)
GOALS, Hepburn: Samuel Dunstan 14, Julian Lockwood 3, Bradley McKay 2, Tommy Horne 2, Joseph Clarke 1, Daniel Klimeck 1, Ken Cummings 1
Creswick: Justin Allison 1, Clinton Robinson 1, Joel Antonio 1, Pearce Antonio 1
BEST, Hepburn: Samuel Dunstan, Tommy Horne, Julian Lockwood, Mitchell McKay, Bradley McKay, Joseph Clarke
Creswick: Timothy Rieniets, Aaron Sedgwick, Jacob Plier, Jack Marshman, Patrick Taranto, Liam Blake
As expected, Beaufort made light work of Ballan on Saturday.
The Crows held the Blues to a solitary major for the afternoon on their way to a 109-point success.
Lachlan Murray was in top form in attack with eight goals, while Daniel Morris, Michael Foster and Levi Cox also stood out for the winners.
"I thought we played some great team footy and everyone got involved," Crows coach Rohan Brown said.
Beaufort youngster Cooper Smith made his senior debut on Saturday and kicked a goal.
Ballan coach Tristan Batten said his side actually played better against the wind.
"The boys maybe thought the wind would just do it for you. There were plenty of goals late in quarters which has been a common trend," Batten said.
Batten said key Ballan players Darren Tanti and Zac Boland both pulled out before the game with rib concerns, while Ash Mullane went down with a knee issue during the match.
BEAUFORT v. BALLAN
Beaufort 4.5, 8.9, 12.13, 17.18 (120)
Ballan 0.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.5 (11)
GOALS, Beaufort: Lachlan Murray 8, Rupert Sangster 2, Nick Sullivan 2, Joseph Mason 2, James Slater 1, Lachlan Pfeifer 1, Cooper Smith 1
Ballan: Beau Runnalls 1
BEST, Beaufort: Michael Foster, Lachlan Murray, Levi Cox, Luke Ward, Joel Chester
Ballan: Michael Snaith, Trent Laurie, Ryan Bongart, Max Phillips, Matthew Rollo, Dylan Trickey
Dunnstown collected a fourth-straight success with a big win against Clunes.
The Towners kicked clear of the Magpies at every change to record a 59-point victory.
"We played really well and dominated general play. Clunes was aggressive and scrapped and tried to drag us down through being physical off the ball, but to our credit we didn't get sucked into that and played well in tough conditions," Dunnstown coach Justin Abrams said.
Clunes was led by big man Mark Paramonov, who has only recently returned from knee surgery.
DUNNSTOWN v. CLUNES
Dunnstown 2.1, 6.6, 9.9, 12.13 (85)
Clunes 1.1, 1.2, 3.4, 3.8 (26)
GOALS, Dunnstown: Matthew Bulluss 3, Harry Biggs 2, Timothy Collins 1, Connor Ronan 1, Mitchell Henderson 1, Harry McKimmie 1, Daniel Harbour 1, Joel Williams 1, Hamish Hallahan 1
Clunes: Matthew Wrigley 2, Jack Fenner 1
BEST, Dunnstown: Matthew Bulluss, Josh Renga, Jack Sutherland, Timothy Collins, Daniel Westblade, Kade Rattley
Clunes: Mark Paramonov, Reagan Maddaford, Matt Newton, Ryan Thompson, Josh Thompson, Callum Newton
Gordon kept its place inside the top four with a comprehensive victory against Learmonth.
The Eagles piled on seven goals in each of the second and fourth quarters to beat the Lakies by 122 points.
Gordon big man Brendan Sutcliffe kicked seven goals, while onballer Tye Murphy and ruckman Luke Gunnell were named best.
Learmonth coach Nick Willox said the Eagles were too polished.
"Gordon was just far too strong. Not too much else to it," he said.
"They were well organised and structured. We just (couldn't) move the ball to our forward line at all."
GORDON v. LEARMONTH
Gordon 2.4, 9.16, 14.18, 21.26 (152)
Learmonth 2.3, 3.3, 4.6, 4.6 (30)
GOALS, Gordon: Brendan Sutcliffe 7, Adam Toohey 3, Tye Murphy 3, Matthew Raworth 2, Mick Nolan 2, Isaac McCabe 1, Connor Ascough 1, Bradley Horsham 1, Gerard Clifford 1
Learmonth: Darcy Robinson 1, Brenton Powell 1, Nicholas Martin 1, Matthew Willox 1
BEST, Gordon: Tye Murphy, Luke Gunnell, Matthew Hoy, Ethan Crackel, Mick Nolan, Brendan Sutcliffe
Learmonth: Brenton Powell, Matthew Willox, James Pratt, Jack Treweek, Darcy Robinson, Hamish Crawley
Buninyong continued its long run of success with ease against Daylesford on Saturday.
The third-placed Bombers stretched their winning sequence to nine matches with a 135-point triumph on home soil.
Dangerous small forward Derick Micallef kicked seven goals for the boys in red and black, while former coach Jarrod Morgan managed three.
BUNINYONG v. DAYLESFORD
Buninyong 4.7, 10.8, 14.14, 22.17 (149)
Daylesford 0.0, 0.1, 2.2, 2.2 (14)
GOALS, Buninyong: Derick Micallef 7, Jarrod Morgan 3, Ned Gilbert 2, Jarrod Rodgers 2, Luke Cullen 2, Caius Barrenger 2, Jack Robertson 1, Isaac Baker 1, Fraser Hunt 1, Graeme Younger 1
Daylesford: Max Risstrom 2
BEST, Buninyong: Derick Micallef, Fraser Hunt, Joshua Lee, Samuel Russell, Jack Romeril, Graeme Younger
Daylesford: Sam Winnard, Cameron Ralph, Emlyn Nettleton, Thomas Powell, Thomas Conroy, Jacob Whelan
Marcus Darmody moved to within 15 goals of the century with a bag of eight majors in Newlyn's thrashing of Carngham-Linton.
Darmody was again a standout for the Cats, which kept their spot in second with a 105-point triumph.
A hamstring injury to defender Scott Carey was a blow for Newlyn, which had co-coach Dan Wehrung and defender Joel Willmott as other leading contributors.
Gun midfielder Steve Clifton left the field late in the game and failed to return. It is unclear if he was battling injury.
Carngham-Linton had a number of key players withdraw from the side before Saturday's game - Jake Tanner, Jacob Dawson and Mark Ashmore - and struggled to match it with the classy Cats.
Wayne Bruty and Tim Clarke tried hard and were named the Saints' best for their efforts largely in defence.
NEWLYN v. CARNGHAM-LINTON
Newlyn 7.2, 9.4, 12.13, 17.18 (120)
Carngham-Linton 1.0, 2.2, 2.3, 2.3 (15)
GOALS, Newlyn: Marcus Darmody 8, Declan Lourey 2, Dylan Fishwick 1, Adam Sewell 1, Daniel Wehrung 1, Liam Gill 1, Stephen Clifton 1, Patrick Parr 1, Luke Faull 1
Carngham-Linton: Justin O'Brien 1, Lachlan Isbister 1
BEST, Newlyn: Daniel Wehrung, Marcus Darmody, Joel Willmott, Adam Sewell, Luke Bull, Patrick Parr
Carngham-Linton: Tim Clarke, Wayne Bruty, Jayson Porter, Bradley Dunbar, James Nichols, Damian Tabakovic
Waubra has kept its unbeaten record in tact, but not without a scare from Springbank.
The Roos trailed 23-0 at quarter time on Saturday, but held off the huge challenge from the Tigers to triumph by eight points.
Waubra had hit the front by half time, maintained a lead in the third quarter and held the home side goalless in the last term to record the 9.8 (62) to 7.12 (54) success.
"They kicked to the scoring end first but were far better than us. We hardly had the ball and they were unlucky... probably should have been further in front," Roos coach Matt James said.
"They were really impressive, we weren't able to get into any real flow... it was a real contested game.
"It was pleasing to generate a win in a different style and playing more of a contested style of game."
Dean Robertson was a "real leader" on Saturday, while Tom Nash also shone for the Roos.
Waubra is still two games clear of second-placed Newlyn at the top of the ladder, while Springbank has slipped to sixth.
The Tigers were led by Joel Maher, Shannon Donegan and Sean McKenzie.
SPRINGBANK v. WAUBRA
Waubra 0.0, 4.2, 8.4, 9.8 (62)
Springbank 3.5, 3.5, 7.8, 7.12 (54)
GOALS, Waubra: John Coleman 4, Dean Robertson 3, Caleb McGrath 1, Thomas Nash 1
Springbank: Samuel Harkin 2, James Thompson 2, Todd Finco 1, William Driscoll 1, Ben Beasley 1
BEST, Waubra: Dean Robertson, Thomas Nash, Ryan Head, Jackson Kinna, John Coleman, William Booth
Springbank: Joel Maher, Shannon Donegan, Sean McKenzie, James Thompson, William Driscoll, Todd Finco
LADDER
Waubra 288.91 52
Newlyn 240.16 44
Buninyong 203.07 44
Gordon 195.24 40
Hepburn 175.92 36
Springbank 164.41 36
Beaufort 148.36 36
Skipton 111.65 32
Bungaree 81.02 28
Learmonth 67.81 24
Creswick 63.29 20
Dunnstown 80.93 16
Rokewood-Corindhap 59.84 12
Daylesford 54.48 8
Carngham-Linton 49.09 8
Ballan 39.29 8
Clunes 40.95 4