A DOMINANT first-half performance set up Bridgewater’s emphatic 41-point win over Bears Lagoon Serpentine in the opening round of the Loddon Valley season.
After dumping the Bears out of the finals last season by a single point, the Mean Machine were never threatened at home, led by outstanding games from recruits Luke Ellings and Alex Powell.
Serp surged in the third quarter with six goals to two – five of them to full-forward Josh Mellington – slashing the 49-point half-time lead to 22 points.
However, two quick goals to Bridgewater in the last term ensured an impressive victory, 19.11 (125) to 12.12 (84).
Although the Bears had the dominant ruckman on the ground in Nathan Twigg, the Mean Machine’s onball division was in control for most of the afternoon.
Tough midfielder Ellings, a star in the Bendigo league last season, will be a powerful force in 2025 with his accurate disposal and excellent skills.
He topped off a brilliant debut with three goals, an early down payment on coach Lachlan Sharp’s aim to see more scoring options this season.
Sharp, coming off 138 goals in 2024, kicked six but was content to see 11 players hit the scoreboard. By contrast, Mellington kicked eight of the Bears 12 goals as their forward line proved too one-dimensional.
He limped from the field in the final term with a hamstring issue, with his right thigh heavily iced after the game.
A goal in the last quarter illustrated the kind of quick, flowing football Sharp is trying to develop.
From a kick-out, Bridgewater swept the ball along the clubroom side of the ground with precise kicking and slick handballs for a brilliant goal without a Bears player getting a touch.
Bears Lagoon Serpentine’s third-quarter move came on the back of a flurry of free kicks – 13 in total for the term.
Sharp lambasted his players at the final break for their ill-discipline in letting the Bears back into the game after they looked dead and buried at half-time.
The Mean Machine kicked 12 goals to four in that opening half, splitting open the defence time and again with quick ball movement.
Calivil and Maiden Gully played out a thrilling draw, with the Eagles kicking four goals to two in the last quarter to share the points.
Maiden Gully led at the first two changes before Calivil made a charge in the third term with four goals to one.
Looking to celebrate the 250th games of Evan Ritchie and Jordan Lea with a win, the Demons were fortunate to hold on for a draw after the Eagles scored 4.6 to 2.2 in the final quarter.
Last season’s best-and-fairest Ed Crisp kicked four goals for Maiden Gully and was among the team’s best players along with Grayson Brown, Daniel Russell, Mitch Hill and Sean Moyle.
Mitchell Stephens, Jake Lawry, Rhys Lawry and new coach Sam Maher were among Calivil’s best.
- GARY WALSH