Round Nine Rundown

Ladder leaders North Ballarat City (20.12-132) will finally put their feet up this weekend following an 81-point demolition job on Melton South (7.9-51).

Since their only loss in Round Three to the Lakers, City has won six straight, averaging over 100-points per game while conceding a miserly 55-points per game in the process at 184%. Their impressive run into the bye included wins over the league’s current second, third, fourth and fifth-placed teams. It's fair to say the competition is officially on notice.

Melton South had their moments testing City, trailing by just eight points at the main break but were left lamenting some golden opportunities. That was all that was needed to kick City into gear after half-time with a match-winning seven-goal blitz in 11-minutes to rattle the home side, who were without irreplaceable players Bradley Olsson and Shaun Wyatt.

City booted 15 goals to three after half-time to best tell the story on the scoreboard. While the Panthers did welcome Port Melbourne affiliates Anthony Anastasio (Panthers best on ground) and Isaac Conway into the line-up for their first games with the club this year, the City assignment proved all too much to conquer. McCartney's men, minus Josh Chatfield (kidney) with a potentially season-ending injury, had 11 goalkickers in an ominous display.

Sources out of Saturday's game suggest the Panthers are too Dylan Conway focused and need a greater spread of contributors hitting the scoreboard. The BFNL's leading goalkicker more often has two defenders to beat week in, week out, given his exceptional talents.

City's Harry Loader, Riley Polkinghorne and Callum McCullum were named best for the winners.

Bacchus Marsh (8.7-55) won the battle of attrition against Sebastopol (7.7-49) to move to third on the BFNL table after a six-point win at Maddingley Park.

Try these absentees for the Cobras, no Jake Owen, Jayden Owen, Aaron Willets, Harry King, Alex Porter, Kane Dickson and Kane White, and for the 'Burras, no Tony Lockyer, Luke Kiel, James Richards, Michael Powell, Chase Dummett, Jai Harvey, Jack Bambury and Jack McNabb.

Full credit to the Cobras, they were without 70 per cent of their goal scorers and were able to get the job done against flag fancies Sebastopol. While it's difficult to pass judgement on sides seven or eight shy of their best on paper, the flag dream for the 'Burra suffered a hit on the weekend, more so than the Marsh.

The test on the weekend was always going to be a grind, a battle of the Cobras 'inside' strength between the 'Burras spread on the 'outside'.

Sebastopol had the majority of the ball for the first quarter and a half, but thereafter Tom German's men tightened the screws and were able to get the game back into a preferred arm-wrestle of sorts.

'Burras ball magnet Lachlan Cassidy would have slept well Saturday night as the Cobras kept up their relentless pressure, denying him his usual passage out of stoppage with ferocious tackling.

Cobras Playing Coach German played his best game for the club, while three made their senior debuts. For the 'Burras, Ryan O'Keefe was 'Lockyer' like across half-back, terrific in just his second game this year. He can play.

Despite a comfortable 34-point win over bottom side Darley (6.5-41), Lake Wendouree (11.9-75) moved just one place up the BFNL ladder to eighth, merely percentage shy of fourth.

The Lakers led at every change to withstand the Devils that challenged to be within nine points at the main break. Three unanswered goals for the Lakers in the third term essentially put the game to bed in trying conditions on a typical Ballarat winters day.

In what Lakers coach Dale Power described as a 'hard watch' given the repeat stoppage nature of the game it wasn't until the winners were able to get some clear room out of the congestion that they were able to shake off the winless Devils who produced another three debutants on the weekend, taking their season tally of players used to a league-high, 42.

In typical Laker’s style, an even spread of contributors without any real standouts was able to get the job done largely on their own terms.

Defenders from both sides featured prominently in the best players, highlighting a difficult day for forwards. Just what influence Box Hill affiliated Lakers signing Fergus Greene could have had on that group remains unknown, given his excellent form in the VFL. Greene kicked six goals on the weekend in the VFL to become the Hawks leading goalkicker in 2021 with 25.

Second-placed Melton (7.9-51) held off an Andrew Hooper inspired Ballarat (6.8-44) to win by seven points in a low scoring affair at MacPherson Park.

Ten of the 13 goals in the game were kicked to the city end as both sides aimed to maximise their opportunity with the aid of a two to three-goal breeze.

It's rare at this level you see a game played essentially in one half of the ground. Those fans perched with what they thought to be a bird’s eye view of the game at the other end before the opening bounce had every reason to be felt hard done by given the weight of possession away from them.

Hooper's five-goal haul on a difficult day for forwards across the region almost stole it for the Swans, but the Bloods two-goal return in the last quarter against the pattern into the breeze proved the telling factor.

Bloods ruckman Ben Archard is warming into his delayed start to the season to be named the best for the winners, while youngster Bailey Mawson and Jordyn Cotter's contributions were significant.

The Swans on the other hand were minus Josh Gibson and inform big man Bailey Van de Heuvel but made a firm case to suggest their best is worthy of a prized finals berth in 2021. Mitch Martin, Daniel Kennedy and Nick Weightman were influential, while Luke Wynd finished on the right side of another daunting matchup. 

Redan (5.8-38) deservedly saluted against Sunbury (2.5-17) in an old-fashioned arm wrestle at City Oval. Kicking against what seemed a two-to-three goal breeze in the final term, the Redan Lions were able to deny Sunbury any momentum on the goal front, holding out the visitors for the opening 10-12 minutes before eventually breaking their spirits with three unanswered goals to stretch the lead to a game-high 21-points at the final siren.

Keenan Waterbury and Daniel Bond did the damage again for Redan, their bigger bodies were well suited to the wintery conditions while the work rate of Cooper Craig-Peters and his mounting disposal count is difficult to contain on any day.

There were just seven goals in entirety kicked for the game in a real battle of the defences. Sunbury's Tyson Lever was arguably best on ground in a losing side, while Luke Goater and running machine Daniel Toman provided plenty of drive into a forward line with questions marks remaining over its ability to kick a winning score. To clarify, only Alec Goodson (12) and midfielder Daniel Toman (six goals) have kicked more than four goals for the season.

For Redan, consolidation is a non-negotiable ahead of their Round 10 home meeting with Darley, a prized spot in the top six awaits them.