BRIDGEWATER made it to the Loddon Valley preliminary final last season but limped out of the premiership race with a big loss to Marong.
The team’s talisman, full-forward and co-coach Lachlan Sharp, limped his way through the latter part of the season, too, struggling with leg injuries despite managing to kick 138 goals in his first season with the Mean Machine.
In 2025, he takes over the coaching role alone, and at the same time hopes he won’t be alone in kicking winning scores.
Sharp, 34, is open in saying he’s not focused on another race to the century with Bears Lagoon Serpentine’s Josh Mellington, or anyone else.
His aim is to develop a multi-pronged attack that can stand up if he is struggling to kick goals himself.
Elsewhere on the ground, the Mean Machine has scored something of a coup with the signing of Luke Ellings from Kangaroo Flat in the Bendigo league.
He joins Bridgewater to play with his brother Jacob, who missed last season with an ACL injury.
Sharp has been impressed with the way the club’s younger players have returned to training after the Christmas break.
He pointed to Darcy Wood, who won the club’s 2023 senior B&F as “a real watch” and said Harry McKinley was among the younger footballers who were the future of the club.
Another bonus is Xavier Walsh, who is coming off an injury-plagued 2024, and is like a new recruit, Sharp believes.
He said he wanted the Mean Machine to be a team that the community was proud of, and was looking forward to trying to bridge the gap to the top two teams, Marong and Pyramid Hill.
With Sharp, Bo Alexander, Jack Neylon and Joe Mayes all picked in last season’s Loddon Valley team of the year, Bridgewater looks like a strong contender in 2025.

You can’t go past the captain-coach, whose goal kicking exploits have grace